North Korea Welcomes Singapore FM in Rare High-Level Diplomacy

(MENAFN) Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan completed a rare two-day visit to Pyongyang this week, meeting senior North Korean officials in a diplomatic engagement that underscored half a century of ties between the two nations, Singapore's Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday.

Balakrishnan traveled to the North Korean capital from Tuesday to Wednesday at the invitation of Democratic People's Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, the ministry said. The two ministers held substantive talks spanning regional and international issues, as well as the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula.

Both sides reaffirmed the "longstanding cordial and friendly relations" between Singapore and North Korea, which marked 50 years of diplomatic ties in 2025.

Balakrishnan urged Pyongyang to engage constructively with the broader region and pressed for open channels of dialogue, also extending a formal invitation for Choe to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, of which North Korea holds membership. Choe hosted a welcome banquet for the Singaporean minister during the visit.

Balakrishnan also held a separate meeting with Jo Yong Won, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, who briefed him on North Korea's internal political landscape.

During the meeting, Balakrishnan said that "amid ongoing global uncertainty, it was even more important for countries to maintain dialogue and communication to maintain peace and stability."

Both Balakrishnan and Jo acknowledged North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's landmark visit to Singapore for the first US-North Korea summit in 2018 — a moment that remains a touchstone in the two countries' shared diplomatic history.

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