SEOUL • Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan held talks with his North Korean counter-part Ri Yong Ho in Pyongyang on Thursday to prepare for the US-North Korean summit in Singapore on Tuesday.

"Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan exchanged in-depth views on further developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries with a long history and tradition in various fields and on the situation ahead of the DPRK-US summit," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported yesterday. DPRK refers to the North's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The North Korean state media did not provide further details on the meeting, but said the talks "proceeded in a warm and friendly atmosphere".

Dr Balakrishnan also met Mr Kim Yong Nam, North Korea's ceremonial head of state. KCNA said Dr Balakrishnan also visited Mangyongdae, the birthplace of Mr Kim Jong Un's grandfather and North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung, and the Tower of the Juche Idea.