SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A high-level North Korean economic delegation was on its way to Iran, North Korean state media said Wednesday, for what would be the first known talks between the two countries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. .
Adopting the idea of a “new Cold War”, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been pushing for greater cooperation with countries confronting the United States, as its intensified weapons testing has prompted the United States and South Korea to expand their military exercises.
The Pyongyang delegation led by Yun Jung Ho, North Korean Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, flew to Iran on Tuesday, the official Korean news agency announced on Wednesday. State media did not immediately provide further details.
Pyongyang and Tehran are among the few governments in the world to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and both have been accused of supplying military equipment to Russia.
The last time North Korea sent senior officials to Iran was in August 2019, when a group led by Pak Chol Min, vice speaker of Pyongyang’s parliament, made a week-long visit. The two countries had active diplomatic exchanges until North Korea closed its borders in an effort to stem the pandemic, before a cautious reopening in 2023.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs with the North, did not immediately comment on Yun’s visit to Iran.
North Korea has been working for months to raise the profile of its ties with Russia and China, as Kim attempts to emerge from diplomatic isolation and join a united front against the United States.
In 2023, Kim traveled to the Russian Far East for a rare summit with Putin, which highlighted the expansion of military cooperation between the countries, including alleged transfers of artillery shells, missiles and other munitions from the North to Russia.
Earlier this month, Kim received senior Chinese official Zhao Leji, who heads the ceremonial parliament and is third in the ruling Communist Party’s hierarchy. It was the highest-level meeting between the countries in years.
Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, on Wednesday criticized the latest rounds of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises and insisted the allies will never break the North’s resolve to strengthen “our overwhelming and most powerful military force.
The statement comes a week after U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield called on the international community to be attentive to the possibility of military cooperation between North Korea, Iran and Russia. Iran has been accused of supplying drones to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.
“We are concerned that the Iranians are supplying weapons to the Russians and that the Russians are also supporting efforts to help (North Korea) expand its own research into weapons development. And that would certainly be the case with Iran as well,” she said.
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