Member of N. Korean Delegation Reportedly Drowned in Moscow

A member of a North Korean delegation reportedly drowned while swimming in a lake near Moscow.

According to the Russian Telegram channel SHOT, the deceased was 64-year-old Kim Geum Chol, a representative of a Korean agricultural enterprise. It said Kim stayed at the North Korean embassy in Moscow and went for a swim in a lake in Zelenograd, a suburb some 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Moscow, due to the intense heat and disappeared.

His colleagues reportedly initiated a search for him with help from local police but to no avail. His body later surfaced on a lake the next day, where SHOT said Kim’s identity had been identified and an investigation was underway.

SHOT posted the update on Tuesday, July 16, but it’s not clear when the incident took place. Kyiv Post is also unable to verify the report’s authenticity due to a lack of alternative sources and reports.

Reuters, citing North Korea’s KCNA state news agency, said in its July 9 report that a senior North Korean official called Kim Geum Chol, who’s the president of the Kim Il Sung Military University in North Korea, led a delegation of military training officials that departed Pyongyang for Moscow on July 8.

It’s not clear if the deceased is the same individual referenced in Reuters’ report.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to Pyongyang, in which Putin said Russia “does not rule out military-technical cooperation” with Pyongyang.

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