North Korean official drowned during Moscow visit, say Russian media

17/7/2024 18:47

        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 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.