North Korea not keen on external engagement, says Vivian after Pyongyang visit

SEOUL – North Korea does not appear to be keen on external engagements at present, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who made his first visit in eight years to Pyongyang from May 26 to 27. 

Instead, it seems focused on strengthening self-reliance and military deterrence, Dr Balakrishnan told the Singapore media in Seoul on May 28, as he wrapped up a five-day trip spanning China, North Korea and South Korea.

The Foreign Minister also noted the “remarkable progress” made by Pyongyang despite its isolation from the larger international community, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic years. 

“In the eight years since I’ve been there, Pyongyang has continued to grow and to develop. I saw new housing estates. It is a clean, modern, well-organised, well-planned city,” said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that Pyongyang’s cityscape “would fit in with any modern city throughout South-east Asia, or even North-east Asia, for that matter”.

He shared a video of Pyongyang city sights in a Facebook post on May 28. 

And despite anticipation that the Foreign Minister’s rare visit to both Koreas could signal Singapore’s possible role as a mediator to restart US-North Korea talks, Dr Balakrishnan dismissed such speculation.

“I went there because I was invited by DPRK to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic ties. I also wanted to update myself as to developments there,” he said in response to a question by The Straits Times. 

Dr Balakrishnan’s first trip to North Korea, or officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was in 2018.

It was in preparation for the first summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, held in Singapore in June that year, which was aimed at negotiating denuclearisation and easing tensions on the Korean peninsula.

In his latest visit, Dr Balakrishnan met his counterpart, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, and Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly chairman Jo Yong Won.

Dr Balakrishnan observed that North Korea is “certainly in a closer relationship now with Russia”, with China remaining “indispensable” to the hermit regime, and it is “not yet ready to open up significant channels of communication with the United States or with ROK (Republic of Korea or South Korea) and Japan at this point in time”.

The Foreign Minister added: “My usual advice in circumstances like this is strategic patience. Don’t make things worse, don’t aggravate issues, but look with a longer-term horizon for opportunities to be helpful or to open channels of communication. Some things need time to ripen.”

On Feb 26, Mr Kim was reported by state media as saying that North Korea could “get along well” with the US if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status, and that “the prospects of DPRK-US relations entirely depend on the attitude of the US”. 

Furthermore, despite speculation that Mr Trump’s visit to Beijing earlier in May could include a meeting with Mr Kim on the sidelines, the meeting eventually did not materialise. Mr Trump said later in an interview that North Korea had been discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit, without going into detail. 

Singapore sees its relationship with North Korea as one based on friendship and mutual respect, said the minister. 

“Of course, we are constrained by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, which obviously pose significant restrictions on economic ties. Nevertheless, they know what we stand for, how we operate, and we are always open to maintain that line of communication with DPRK,” he said.

The UNSC has passed multiple resolutions against North Korea since 2006, aimed at curbing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes by imposing arms embargoes, trade bans and financial restrictions.

During his visit to Pyongyang, Dr Balakrishnan also invited Ms Choe to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a diplomatic and security dialogue that North Korea has been a part of since 2000. 

North Korea had missed the annual forum for the first time in July 2025 when it was held in Kuala Lumpur.

It was not invited by Malaysia, which was the ASEAN chair at the time. The Malaysian Ambassador to South Korea later told the Korea JoongAng Daily it was because the two countries had yet to restore diplomatic ties after Pyongyang cut ties in 2021.

The Philippines is set to host the 33rd edition of the ARF in Manila on July 23.

“I told her that it was still important for the voice of the DPRK to be heard on the international stage, and to look for appropriate opportunities in an appropriate way, manner, and timing which fits their own political priorities, for them to continue to engage the larger world,” said Dr Balakrishnan.

A marked change in Pyongyang that he noticed was the hardened stance of the North towards unification with the South. 

“I’m sure there are more detailed local domestic reasons for that stand, but nevertheless it is what it is. They do not accept any possibility of reunification,” said Dr Balakrishnan.

North Korea deleted all references to unification with South Korea from its Constitution in March, and included a new clause delineating North Korea’s territory as the area bordering China and Russia to the north, with “the Republic of Korea to the south”.

As there are no direct transport links between Pyongyang and Seoul, Dr Balakrishnan flew to the Chinese city of Shenyang before heading to Seoul, where he met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two ministers welcomed the progress in implementing the Singapore-ROK Strategic Partnership, and the expeditious conclusion of negotiations to upgrade the Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

Singapore and South Korea elevated their ties to a strategic partnership on Nov 2, 2025, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The two ministers also agreed to deepen cooperation between ASEAN and South Korea, including the upgrading of the ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Area (AKFTA), which expands access to and eases restrictions on goods, services and investments, with Singapore the coordinator for ASEAN-ROK economic relations. 

Dr Balakrishnan also separately met South Korean national security director Wi Sung Lac, Unification Minister Chung Dong Young and National Assembly member Lee Un Ju, who chairs the ROK-Singapore Parliamentary Friendship Group. Their discussions covered regional and international developments, including the Middle East situation and US-China relations.

He conveyed Singapore’s support for constructive engagement and dialogue among all parties to promote peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the broader region.

During the wrap-up interview, Dr Balakrishnan also circled back to the first leg of his North-east Asia trip earlier in the week, where he had met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

He said recent talks between Mr Trump and China’s Mr Xi had brought “some form of stability” to great-power ties, but stressed that deeper strategic rivalry had not gone away.

It is therefore important for a small city-state like Singapore, with vital interests in both China and the US, “to be exquisitely sensitive and to understand what is going on, and to the extent possible in our own small way, understand and be constructive”, Dr Balakrishnan said.

On China’s own role in promoting regional peace and security, especially in pushing for a ceasefire between the US and Iran, Dr Balakrishnan said Beijing is “a superpower in its own right” and “the world’s largest energy importer”, with “real skin in the game in keeping sea lanes open, in secure supply chains”.

Dr Balakrishnan also emphasised that both Singapore and China share a belief in the “fundamental importance of freedom of navigation and right of transit passage through Straits used for International Navigation”, not out of ideology but “as a matter of practical necessity”.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy and shipping route, has been effectively closed since Feb 28, when the US and Israel began bombing Iran. On May 28, Iran attacked a US airbase following US strikes on an Iranian drone operation near the strait, hours after Mr Trump rejected a report that he was close to a compromise peace deal with Tehran.

Against this backdrop of global instability, Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore would continue to engage “superpowers, middle powers and our immediate neighbours, and even those further afield” so that its foreign policy remains relevant, resilient, constructive and consistent.

That way, even if others disagree, “they will still say… ‘I understand why Singapore takes that stand, and we’ll find ways to work together even if we have differences’”, Dr Balakrishnan said.

He returned to Singapore on May 28.