N. Korean officials make rare visit to South as Kim Jong Un questions swirl

Isolated North Korea sent its highest level delegation to South Korea on Saturday to attend the Asian Games closing ceremony amid a flurry of diplomatic activity which has raised hopes for improved ties between the arch rivals. Heading the delegation was Hwang Pyong So, who arrived at Incheon airport in full military uniform, and Choe Ryong Hae, two senior aides to North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un. S. Korea media say N. Korea agrees to a second round of high-level talks with South in coming weeks.

The government hopes that the high level delegation’s attendance at the Asian Games closing ceremony becomes a positive occasion for improved ties between the South and the North.

Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol

Despite tense relations with the South, North Korea has been on a high-profile diplomatic outreach in recent weeks, with its foreign minister making visits to capitals and attending the U.N. General Assembly last month. South Korea welcomed the North Koreans’ visit and raised hope that it would lead to a breakthrough in ties that have been in a deep freeze for more than four years. Leader Kim Jong Un has been absent from public view since September 3, fuelling speculation that he may be in bad health or that a change in leadership may be in the offing.

Korea Asia-Pacific