A North Korean official visiting Russia whose name matches that of a man cited by the secretive state's media as the leader of a military training contingent has drowned while swimming in a pond outside Moscow, Russian media have reported.
The BAZA news outlet, which often publishes information from sources in the security services and law enforcement, said that the official, Kim Geum Chol, died on July 11 in a public swimming pond in Zelenograd, a city some 37 km (23 miles) northwest of Moscow. North Korea's state KCNA news agency reported earlier this month that a North Korean elite military training delegation had departed by plane to Russia on July 8, the first military exchange between the two countries since their leaders signed a pact pledging closer military cooperation.
KCNA said that Kim Geum Chol, whom it described as the president of the Kim Il Sung Military University, was leading the delegation. The country's leader, Kim Jong Un, attended the military academy after studying in Switzerland while being groomed as North Korea's third leader. The North Korean embassy in Moscow on Wednesday did not immediately respond to a Reuters request to confirm Kim's death and identity. Moscow police, who have not commented on the incident publicly, were checking the circumstances of what happened, the SHOT Telegram channel reported separately.
Both BAZA and SHOT described the dead man as having been on an official visit and as having stayed at the North Korean embassy in Moscow. Neither made mention of any military education links, saying only that he had worked in the agriculture sector. BAZA said Kim had travelled, accompanied by an interpreter, to the Bolshoi Gorodskoi (Big City) pond in Zelenograd to cool off from the scorching summer heat.
Baza and SHOT said the interpreter had lost sight of Kim after he went swimming and contacted the police. His body was found the next day floating in the pond. Both outlets gave his age as 64. The incident comes as Pyongyang and Moscow have traded a record number of high-level visits in the past year, culminating in President Vladimir Putin's first trip to North Korea in 24 years. The two countries' military ties concern officials in Seoul and Washington, who say there is evidence of weapons shipments by the North to Russia for use against Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow deny such transactions.
Putin takes Kim for a "ride" in his luxury limousine in Pyongyang
(Reuters)
