North Korean envoy due in China soon after Seoul sought help with Pyongyang

Choe will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, state-owned Xinhua News Agency and Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday.

Her trip closely follows leader Kim Jong-un’s appearance at China’s Victory Day parade on September 3 and his meeting with President Xi Jinping this month – his first since 2019. Choe was part of the delegation.

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During their talks, Xi and Kim reaffirmed that bilateral ties “will not change, regardless of how the international situation evolves”.

Xi said China wanted to “strengthen interactions” with Pyongyang at “all levels and carry out practical cooperation in various fields”.

And the North Korean leader praised China’s “impartial position” on the Korean peninsula during their meeting, even as South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, has resumed closer engagement with Beijing since taking office.

Kim’s appearance alongside Xi at the parade was widely seen as a signal that the neighbours remain closely aligned despite speculation of strain over North Korea’s growing ties with Moscow.

Neighbours North Korea and Russia have become closer in recent years, particularly since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with Pyongyang sending troops to the battlefield.

South China Morning Post