SEOUL – North Korea does not appear to be keen on external engagements at present, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who made his first visit in eight years to Pyongyang from May 26 to 27.
Instead, it seems focused on strengthening self-reliance and military deterrence, Dr Balakrishnan told the Singapore media in Seoul on May 28, as he wrapped up a five-day trip spanning China, North Korea and South Korea.
The Foreign Minister also noted the “remarkable progress” made by Pyongyang despite its isolation from the larger international community, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic years.
“In the eight years since I’ve been there, Pyongyang has continued to grow and to develop. I saw new housing estates. It is a clean, modern, well-organised, well-planned city,” said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that Pyongyang’s cityscape “would fit in with any modern city throughout South-east Asia, or even North-east Asia, for that matter”.
He shared a video of Pyongyang city sights in a Facebook post on May 28.
And despite anticipation that the Foreign Minister’s rare visit to both Koreas could signal Singapore’s possible role as a mediator to restart US-North Korea talks, Dr Balakrishnan dismissed such speculation.
“I went there because I was invited by DPRK to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic ties. I also wanted to update myself as to developments there,” he said in response to a question by The Straits Times.
Dr Balakrishnan’s first trip to North Korea, or officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was in 2018.
It was in preparation for the first summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, held in Singapore in June that year, which was aimed at negotiating denuclearisation and easing tensions on the Korean peninsula.
In his latest visit, Dr Balakrishnan met his counterpart, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, and Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly chairman Jo Yong Won.
Dr Balakrishnan observed that North Korea is “certainly in a closer relationship now with Russia”, with China remaining “indispensable” to the hermit regime, and it is “not yet ready to open up significant channels of communication with the United States or with ROK (Republic of Korea or South Korea) and Japan at this point in time”.
The Foreign Minister added: “My usual advice in circumstances like this is strategic patience. Don’t make things worse, don’t aggravate issues, but look with a longer-term horizon for opportunities to be helpful or to open channels of communication. Some things need time to ripen.”
On Feb 26, Mr Kim was reported by state media as saying that North Korea could “get along well” with the US if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status, and that “the prospects of DPRK-US relations entirely depend on the attitude of the US”.
Furthermore, despite speculation that Mr Trump’s visit to Beijing earlier in May could include a meeting with Mr Kim on the sidelines, the meeting eventually did not materialise. Mr Trump said later in an interview that North Korea had been discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit, without going into detail.
Singapore sees its relationship with North Korea as one based on friendship and mutual respect, said the minister.
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