Key facts
- Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met with South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Jeong Yeon-du in Seoul.
- Cassis discussed reopening Switzerland's diplomatic office in Pyongyang with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
- The Swiss office in Pyongyang was reopened in a new format.
- Switzerland previously operated a humanitarian office in Pyongyang that closed in 2020.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met with South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Jeong Yeon-du in Seoul on Friday to discuss his recent trip to North Korea. Cassis arrived from a two-day visit to Pyongyang, where Switzerland reopened its diplomatic office. He and Choe Son-hui, North Korea's foreign minister, discussed reopening the diplomatic office, regularizing political relations, and reestablishing dialogue. They also exchanged views on security challenges on the Korean Peninsula and in Eurasia. Cassis also met with South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, with both agreeing to maintain close contact to promote peace and stability on the peninsula. Switzerland's previous humanitarian office in Pyongyang closed in 2020.