SEOUL – North Korean Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Pak Myong Ho held talks in Mongolia with his counterpart, Mr Amartuvshin Gombosuren, on March 11, Mongolia’s foreign ministry said, marking a rare foreign trip by a diplomatic delegation from the isolated state.

The trip comes as Pyongyang appears to be starting to expand diplomatic engagement after keeping its borders tightly shut during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The last such visit by North Korean officials to Mongolia was in 2019, when members of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea made the journey.

The vice-ministers discussed the “steady development of the friendly relationship” between the countries, as well as “international and regional cooperation, a press release posted on the Mongolian foreign ministry’s website said.

Mr Pak, who was due to stay in Mongolia until March 13, also met Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh on March 10.

North Korea was invited to send representatives to the 9th International Conference on North-east Asian Security “Ulaanbaatar Dialogue” as well as the World Women’s Forum later in 2024, the ministry’s website said.

The two sides agreed to take “practical action measures” to resume collaboration in various sectors, including education and culture, it said.

North Korean state media KCNA reported on March 10 that a delegation led by Mr Pak left North Korea on March 9 to visit Mongolia without giving further details.

Mr Pak emphasised the importance of Pyongyang’s relations with Mongolia, the foreign ministry statement said. REUTERS