|
|
Name |
|
Kang Sok-ju |
Sex |
|
Male |
Date of Birth |
|
August 29, 1939 |
Place of Birth |
|
Pyongwon, South Pyongan Province |
|
|
Posts Held |
Cadre of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party, first
vice foreign minister, member of the 10th and 11th Supreme People’s
Assemblies |
Claim to Fame |
Expert in relations with the United States |
Education |
Bachelor’s in French from University of International Affairs (Pyongyang) |
Profile |
A veteran diplomat, Kang Sok-ju is a major force in the North Korean
diplomatic corps.
Spending several years of college in China, he began his diplomatic
career as deputy director for international affairs of the Korean
Workers’ Party. After promotions to director and assistant section
leader, he was named his bureau’s section leader in 1980. Four years
later, he followed then bureau chief Kim Yong-nam to the Foreign Ministry
and has served as first vice foreign minister since 1986.
Kang is among a handful of well-known North Korean officials. He first
gained global attention in the 1990s in talks with the United States
on the North’s nuclear program, and helped draft the 1994 Geneva Accord
that set the basis for North Korea-U.S. relations.
Since then, he has supervised the North’s diplomacy toward the United
States. In 1999, he greeted in Pyongyang former U.S. Defense Secretary
and point man on North Korea William Perry, who later authored a report
on the North. A year later, Kang accompanied Kim Jong-il’s special
envoy Jo Myong-rok to Washington and led working-level contacts between
the two sides to improve bilateral relations.
Kang has met with many American officials during their visits to Pyongyang,
including congressmen Bill Richardson and Tony Hall and former U.S.
Ambassador to South Korea James Laney.
Kang also attended Kim Il-sung’s 1994 summit with former U.S. President
Jimmy Carter.
Considered too aggressive at times, Kang has caused problems with
his pushy demeanor. In the early 1990s, he made several crucial decisions
without consulting the party and was sent to a concentration camp
for training in revolutionary discipline. His brother Sok-song is
the director of a think tank on the party’s history. |
|
|