A North Korean minister has embarked on a rare public visit to Iran, drawing scrutiny over the potential expansion of illicit cooperation between the two countries that have been under comprehensive international sanctions, especially amidst simmering tensions in the Middle East. North Korean state media confirmed Wednesday that Yun Jong-ho, minister of external economic relations, departed Pyongyang the previous day.
Regular communication between the two Koreas through cross-border hotlines has remained severed for one year as the North continues to be unresponsive to calls from the South amid increasingly frosty ties. The two Koreas used to hold routine calls twice a day once in the morning and the other in the afternoon via liaison and military hotlines, but the North has stopped answering calls from the South since April.
Regular communication between the two Koreas through cross-border hotlines has remained severed for one year as the North continues to be unresponsive to calls from the South amid increasingly frosty ties.
China s readiness to participate in the upcoming trilateral summit between South Korea and Japan is based on strategic motives, which are aimed at safeguarding its regional interests amid escalating pressure on Beijing from the U.S.-led alliance with Seoul and Tokyo, according to diplomatic observers.
North Korean media outlets are no longer mentioning Cuba whatsoever since the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between South Korea and the Caribbean nation on Feb. 14.