Swiss FM briefs Seoul on Pyongyang trip after reopening diplomatic office
Quick Look
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met with South Korean officials in Seoul to discuss his recent visit to Pyongyang, where Switzerland reopened its diplomatic office, and to emphasize the importance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
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Why It Matters
Switzerland operated a humanitarian office in Pyongyang starting in 1997, which closed in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on Friday shared details of his Pyongyang visit with a senior South Korean official in Seoul, the foreign ministry said.
Cassis arrived earlier in the day from a two-day trip to North Korea, where Switzerland reopened its diplomatic office.
He met Jeong Yeon-du, the vice foreign minister for strategy and intelligence, over dinner, and agreed on the importance of seeking peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.
Jeong outlined Seoul's efforts for peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang and said the South Korean government is keenly interested in the Swiss office's opening. He also expressed hope that the office would help Seoul engage with Pyongyang.
In a post on X earlier in the day, Cassis said he and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui discussed "reopening the diplomatic office in a new format, regularizing political relations and reestablishing a political dialogue."
They also "exchanged views on security on the Korean Peninsula and broader Eurasian security challenges," he wrote.
Cassis also met South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, and the two agreed to stay in close contact to promote peace and stability on the peninsula.
Switzerland ran a humanitarian office in Pyongyang from 1997, but it was not a formal diplomatic mission. It closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Open Questions
- What is the specific 'new format' of the reopened diplomatic office?
