Foreign news sources misunderstood the title of Kim Young Nam, Permanent Chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly who is visiting Africa and issued a report without any prior warning stating that Kim Jong Il would visit Egypt on the 27th.
The AFP quoted Egypt’s official governmental news agency MENA News and reported “Kim, the Chairman of National Defense Commission, is planning to discuss the international situation and bilateral relations with Egyptian President Mubarak.”
However, this happening seems to have occurred from confusion of titles between that of Kim Jong Il and that of Chairman Kim Young Nam who represents the country’s foreign affairs.
According to Article 111 of North Korea’s Socialist Constitution that was amended in September 1998, the Permanent Chairman is stated as the one “to represent the country and to manage all summons and letters of credence of foreign envoys” clearly indicating the nature of the position to handle the country’s foreign affairs.
The Chosun Central News Agency reported that Chairman Kim Young Nam has completed his visit to Algeria on the 27th and plans to go to Ethiopia.
Officials of the news source made a formal statement that “This report was due to the foreign news source’s confusion between Chairman Kim Young Nam who is traveling in Africa including Egypt with Chairman Kim Jong Il due to the title and it seems that such became the reason for a mistaken report.”
