At the invitation of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapores Foreign Minister Vivian visited North Korea from May 26 to May 27.
This is the first visit by a Singaporean Foreign Minister to North Korea in 8 years. According to Yonhap, Wei met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Chairman of the Supreme Peoples Assembly Committee Zhao Yongyuan, among other high-ranking North Korean officials.
On May 28th, Wei Wen spoke with Singaporean media in Seoul. He reflected on his visit to North Korea and shared his observations. According to the interview transcript released by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wei Wen said that he noticed three significant changes in North Korea.
First, lets talk about the changes in Pyongyang. For eight years, Pyongyang has continued to grow and develop, said Viven. Ive seen new residential areas here. The city is clean, modern, well-organized, and well-planned. People are busy with their own lives.
This citys appearance is no less impressive than any modern city in Southeast Asia or even Northeast Asia, said Wei Wen. He added that considering North Koreas history of isolation, its continued progress in the economic sector is particularly commendable.
Vietnamese people share photos of Pyongyangs city scenery on Facebook
Secondly, there have been changes in relations between North Korea and South Korea. Wei Wen stated that North Korea currently clearly and thoroughly rejects the idea of reunifying with South Korea. This seems to be a position that has only become more pronounced recently. I believe there are more complex domestic reasons behind this decision.
Thirdly, there is a lack of contact between North Korea and the outside world. According to Wei Wen, At this stage, North Korea seems unwilling to engage in any kind of contact with the outside world, whether with the United States or South Korea. Instead, they are focused on strengthening their self-reliance capabilities and military deterrence.
In the Chinese version, North Korea is described as a country that has made significant progress despite being isolated. He believes that North Koreas stance on reunification has undergone a major shift, eliminating any possibility of reunification. Additionally, North Korea is not in a hurry to seek opportunities for meaningful negotiations or contact.
Nevertheless, according to the Vietnamese source, he has invited Choi San-ji to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Singapores Strait Times reported that the first visit in Vietnamese language to North Korea took place in 2018. That visit was in preparation for the first meeting between North Korean and American leaders, which took place in Singapore in June of that year.
It seems that there are some speculations about his visit to North Korea. In response, Wei Wen stated that he was invited by the North Korean side to participate in the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and North Korea.
He also emphasized that Singapore does not aim to play any specific role. Our relationship with North Korea is based on friendship and mutual respect We have an independent, autonomous bilateral relationship with North Korea, said Wei Wen. He added, Of course, we are also bound by resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, which impose significant restrictions on economic exchanges.
Nevertheless, the North Korean side understands our position and ways of acting. We are always willing to maintain communication channels with North Korea, and we hope to encourage them, especially those who participate in the ASEAN Regional Forum. said Wei Wen.
According to Yonhap News, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Sang-hyun stated on the 28th that the South Korean government used Singapore as a channel to convey its policies towards North Korea, and also expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea.
On the 28th, Wei Wen met with Zhao Xian in Seoul and reported on the results of his visit to North Korea.
It is reported that South Korea has conveyed the message to North Korea, expressing its willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea in order to achieve peaceful coexistence. Specifically, actions such as deploying drones were indeed incorrect. Such incidents will not happen again in the future. South Korea hopes that North Korea will return to the negotiating table. However, Zhao Xian stated that there are no signs of North Korea engaging in dialogue with South Korea in the near future.
Regarding the possibility of relaunching North Korea-US dialogue, Zhao Xian believes that as long as the US offers good conditions, North Korea-US dialogue can be restarted at any time. Based on several multilateral and bilateral exchanges between the two sides, there are still many issues that need to be resolved by the US. It seems that the issue of North Korea has been pushed down from the priority list. However, North Korea-US dialogue still has the potential to be relaunched at any time.
When asked about the good conditions that could bring the North back to the negotiating table, Zhao Xian said that it should be up to the US side to make the decision. South Korea would prefer to play the role of an intermediary.
