A high-level North Korean economic delegation has travelled to Iran for the first known talks between the two countries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korean state media reported on Wednesday.
Foreign Economic Relations Minister Yun Jung Ho left Pyongyang by plane on Tuesday to lead the ministry’s delegation to Iran, the Korean Central News Agency reported.
Jung, who previously handled ties with Syria, has been actively involved in North Korea’s growing exchanges with Russia and led a delegation to Moscow this month, KCNA added.
The last known instance of North Korea sending senior officials to Iran was in August 2019, when a group led by Pak Chol Min, Pyongyang’s deputy parliamentary speaker, made a week-long visit. The two countries engaged in robust diplomatic exchanges until North Korea closed its borders in an attempt to prevent a pandemic before cautiously reopening them in 2023.
Earlier this month, Kim hosted senior Chinese official Zhao Leji, who heads the ceremonial parliament and is third in the ruling Communist Party hierarchy. It was the highest-level meeting between the countries in years.
