Assessing North Korea-Southeast Asia’s Diplomatic Renewal
“Yet, the DPRK’s decision to actively resume exchange and cooperation across Southeast Asia, though far more limited in scale than its engagement with Russia or even China, is worth noting. In addition to local embassy engagements and sociocultural exchanges, North Korea dispatched two senior delegations to the region in 2024, primarily to reaffirm bilateral cooperation and explore future opportunities. This included a Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) delegation led by Kim Song Nam, alternate member of the WPK Politburo and director of the WPK International Department, to China, Vietnam and Laos in March; and a DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) delegation led by Vice Foreign Minister Pak Sang Gil to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia in September.”
“North Korea’s interactions with Vietnam and Laos have been particularly prominent, as seen by both delegations’ trips to these two countries in 2024. Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian state to have sent multiple delegations on official visits to Pyongyang since North Korea reopened its borders. In 2024, Vietnamese delegations visited Pyongyang in June, September, and October for discussions related to public security, military cooperation and the Fifth Vietnam-North Korea Deputy Foreign Ministerial policy dialogue, respectively. Correspondingly, the WPK delegation visit to Vietnam in March met with senior officials of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). High-level DPRK-Vietnam Foreign Ministry talks in Hanoi in September also discussed bilateral cooperation and delegation exchanges ahead of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025.”
https://www.38north.org/2025/08/assessing-north-korea-southeast-asias-diplomatic-renewal/