Singapore\u2019s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan yesterday wound up a rare visit to North Korea, part of a three-nation diplomatic tour that also includes a visit to South Korea.<\/p>\n
Balakrishnan arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday for a meeting with Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. According to the North Korean news agency KCNA, the two leaders discussed \u201cstrengthening bilateral ties\u201d and \u201cexchanged views on regional \u200band global affairs,\u201d in Reuters\u2019 paraphrase<\/a>.<\/p>\n Singapore\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was more forthright, stating that the meeting between Balakrishnan and Choe included \u201cwide-ranging candid discussions on regional and international issues, as well as developments on the Korean Peninsula.\u201d<\/p>\n Balakrishnan also \u201cencouraged the DPRK to engage constructively with the region and keep channels open for dialogue,\u201d the Ministry said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n During the visit, Balakrishnan\u2019s first since 2018, the Singaporean envoy also met with Jo Yong Won, the chairman of the Standing Committee of North Korea\u2019s Supreme People\u2019s Assembly, who gave him an update on political developments in the DPRK.<\/p>\n \u201cMinister Balakrishnan highlighted that amid ongoing global uncertainty, it was even more important for countries to maintain dialogue and communication to maintain peace and stability,\u201d the Ministry added.<\/p>\n The visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries,<\/p>\n Balakrishnan\u2019s rare North-South \u201cdouble\u201d followed a visit to China between May 24 and 26, during which<\/a> he met officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and \u201creaffirmed the longstanding and strong partnership between Singapore and China under the All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n While Singapore has on numerous occasions condemned<\/a> North Korea\u2019s nuclear weapons tests, and argued that its saber-rattling threatens the peace on the Korean Peninsula, the two nations have maintained an irregular pattern of high-level visits.<\/p>\n In May 2012, Kim Yong Nam, then President of the Supreme People\u2019s Assembly, visited Singapore<\/a> in an attempt to drum up trade and foreign investment. Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong followed in 2014<\/a>, during a five-nation tour of Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n While Singapore cut trade relations<\/a> with North Korea in 2017 to comply with new U.N. sanctions related to its weapons program, it has kept diplomatic channels open. In 2018, Singapore hosted the first \u200bsummit meeting between Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un \u200cand U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n