The Foreign Minister of Singapore, who has recently traveled to both China and North Korea, arrived in Seoul and met with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on the 28th to discuss the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. It seems that South Korea sought to evaluate North Korea’s readiness for dialogue and other related developments through Singapore, a country that upholds a neutral position regarding the Korean Peninsula issue.
Minister Cho had a working breakfast and later met with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on the same day. Minister Balakrishnan traveled to Beijing, China, on the 24th, then went to Pyongyang, North Korea, on the 26th, and arrived in South Korea the day before. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned that the South Korea-Singapore discussions were anticipated to “address the situation on the Korean Peninsula and share views on regional and international issues, including the recent developments in the Middle East.”
This signifies the Singaporean Foreign Minister’s initial trip to South Korea in 19 years, following the official visit by former Foreign Minister George Yeo in 2007, and the first visit since Minister Balakrishnan assumed his role in 2015. Notably, the Singaporean Foreign Minister’s repeated visits to China, North Korea, and South Korea have attracted attention during talks regarding the potential visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to North Korea.
Minister Balakrishnan also acted as a mediator when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traveled to Singapore for the U.S.-North Korea summit in June 2018. During that period, when Kim Jong-un arrived at Singapore’s Changi International Airport on June 10th, Minister Balakrishnan welcomed him there. The next day, Minister Balakrishnan shared a photo of himself with Kim Jong-un at the ‘Gardens by the Bay’ attraction on his Facebook page, which received significant public interest.
As reported by Rodong Sinmun on the 27th, North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met with Minister Balakrishnan at the Pyongyang People’s Cultural Palace on the 26th and organized a dinner in the evening to greet the Singaporean delegation. Rodong Sinmun stated that the discussions focused on “enhancing exchanges and cooperation between the two nations.”
As stated by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 28th, Minister Balakrishnan called on North Korea to “cooperate actively with regional nations and maintain communication lines,” and extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Choe to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, ARF, scheduled to take place in the Philippines in July.
jasdooit 
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