Singapore foreign minister to visit Seoul after stops in China, N. Korea
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun poses at Government Complex Seoul, May 25. Yonhap
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will meet his Singaporean counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan, in Seoul this week, following the latter's visits to China and North Korea, the ministry here said Monday.
The foreign ministry said Cho and Balakrishnan will explore ways to strengthen the countries' bilateral cooperation and discuss the state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula during their talks Thursday, while also exchanging views on regional and international developments.
Singapore's foreign ministry had announced Sunday that Balakrishnan will visit China, North Korea and South Korea from Sunday to Thursday.
Balakrishnan will be the first Singaporean foreign ministry to travel to South Korea since 2007.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is apparently trying to arrange a meeting with Balakrishnan, though a ministry official told Yonhap News Agency that nothing had been fixed as of Monday evening.
Singapore has maintained a cordial relationship with North Korea, providing the stage for the first summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018.
Considering Singapore's history with North Korea, and the fact that Balakrishnan will be in North Korea before traveling to Seoul, the upcoming foreign ministerial meeting may serve as an opportunity for South Korea to gauge, if indirectly, North Korea's interest in dialogue.