North Korea included among countries Vivian Balakrishnan is visiting 'to engage external partners amidst global challenges’ - Singapore News

SINGAPORE: Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has been having an extraordinarily busy month, flying in and out of the country on official business.

Dr Balakrishnan, the keynote speaker at AI Engineer SG on May 16, said in his speech that he will be flying to 12 countries this month. 

Interestingly, the minister is making a rare visit to North Korea.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Sunday that from May 24 to 28, Dr Balakrishnan will visit the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Korea, at the invitation of his counterparts from the three countries.

“Minister Balakrishnan’s visits are part of Singapore’s ongoing efforts to engage external partners amidst global challenges.

During his visits, Minister Balakrishnan will meet his counterparts in the three countries to reaffirm bilateral ties. Minister Balakrishnan will also exchange views with his counterparts on regional and international developments,” MFA said.

His last visit to North Korea was in 2018, just before the summit between United States President Donald Trump and the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un.

“From Singapore’s perspective, diplomacy with North Korea could, in some ways, be more important than with South Korea, as it may serve as a mediator for potential US-North Korea dialogue,” Park Ah-reum, a visiting professor at the Institute for North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, was quoted as saying in a report in NK News. 

On tourism opportunities with North Korea, she added that the country’s “former nominal head of state, Kim Yong Nam, frequently met with Singaporean officials, and Singapore later even provided a luxury cruise ship to North Korea.”

Dr Balakrishnan will spend three days in Beijing before proceeding to Pyongyang. On Thursday (May 28), he is scheduled to be in Seoul for a meeting with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.

In November, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited South Korea to mark 50th years of diplomatic relations. This was followed by President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Singapore in early March.

“Foreign Minister Balakrishnan’s visit to Korea is the first official visit by a Singaporean Foreign Minister in nearly 20 years since Foreign Minister George Yeo’s official visit in 2007, and the first bilateral visit since Minister Balakrishnan took office in 2015; it is expected to be a good opportunity to further strengthen Korea-Singapore relations,” said South Korea’s foreign ministry, which added that measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, regional and international affairs, including the recent situation in the Middle East, are scheduled to be discussed.

Singapore is South Korea’s second-largest trading partner within ASEAN. /TISG

Read also: Spy agency says Kim Jong Un’s daughter is close to being designated North Korea’s future leader

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