North Korea’s ruling party delegation has arrived in Beijing on a three-nation tour, state media reported Friday, in a move seen aimed at strengthening ties with countries sharing the socialist ideology.
The delegation, led by Kim Song-nam, director of the international department at the Workers’ Party, was greeted by the assistant to the head of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party at an airport Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without providing details on the purpose of the trip.
It marked Kim’s first known overseas trip since 2021, when he was appointed to the post handling party-to-party affairs with socialist countries.
Kim, who served as an interpreter for North Korea’s late founder Kim Il-sung and former leader Kim Jong-il, is known as a China expert.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between North Korea and China. The North declared 2024 as the year of North Korea-China friendship, a designation first i
ntroduced in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations.
Kim met with Wang Huning, a member of the standing committee of the political bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, and Liu Jianchao, minister of the party’s international liaison department, on Thursday, according to the website of the Chinese Embassy in North Korea.
In a meeting with Kim, Wang, the communist party’s No. 4 official, voiced China’s willingness to promote bilateral ties with Pyongyang and proposed that the two nations work together to create a “peaceful and stable external environment,” read a statement posted on the embassy’s website.
In response, Kim expressed hope that the two countries could promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields in the year of the friendship.
The KCNA also said the tour will take the North Korean delegation to Vietnam and Laos.
Kim’s trip came as North Korea appears to be resuming diplomatic activity with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), following years of Pyo
ngyang’s COVID-19 border shutdowns.
Laos plans to host the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and other ASEAN-related meetings as this year’s chair country. The annual ARF is the sole regional forum joined by North Korea.
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
Source: Yonhap News Agency