North Korean Delegation En Route to Iran

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the group of DPRK foreign ministry officials on Saturday left the North Korean capital for the trip, which will also see them visit Azerbaijan and Mongolia.

No further details of the purpose or schedule of the trip were released, and it is still unclear which country the officials will visit first.

The delegation was, however, photographed by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency leaving the airport in Beijing on Saturday.

The trip comes as the DPRK continues to seek to strengthen ties with its traditional friends and to increase trade with these countries as negotiations with the US over sanctions relief remain stalled.

It also follows a closely-watched summit in Vladivostok last week between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

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