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Singapore foreign minister in North Korea on rare trip to two Koreas

By Thomson Reuters May 26, 2026 | 6:33 PM

SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) – Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met his North Korean counterpart Choe ​Son Hui on Tuesday in ‌Pyongyang and discussed strengthening bilateral ties, KCNA state news agency said on Wednesday.

Balakrishnan and Choe also exchanged views on ‌regional ​and global affairs, ⁠KCNA said without ⁠elaborating.

Balakrishnan is expected to visit South Korea following his stop in the North, a rare trip ​to both Koreas by a Singaporean envoy.

Balakrishnan was a member ⁠of cabinet in ⁠Singapore when it hosted the ​first summit meeting between the leaders ​of North Korea and the United ‌States in 2018.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a joint ⁠statement agreeing in June 2018 to open new peaceful relations and work on ⁠ending ‌Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

Trump has ⁠said he wants to meet ​Kim ‌again for talks and ​that they ⁠have a good relationship, but North Korea has not directly responded to the overtures.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Nia Williams and ​Stephen Coates)