N. Korea reports on Swiss FM's visit following opening of diplomatic office

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SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met one-on-one with her Swiss counterpart visiting Pyongyang earlier this week and discussed promoting dialogue and cooperation, the North's state media reported Saturday.

Choe held the talks with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, who was on a two-day trip since Friday following Switzerland's recent opening of its first diplomatic office in Pyongyang.

The two sides discussed "the issue of promoting dialogue and cooperation between the diplomatic fields of the two countries and exchanged the appraisal and views of the international situation of common concern," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"The talks proceeded in a friendly atmosphere," the news outlet said, without elaborating.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (5th from R) holds talks with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (4th from L) in Pyongyang on Oct. 30, 2026, in this photo released by the North's state media the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Also attending the talks from the North's side were Jong Tong-hak, the North's vice foreign minister, and Jo Chol-su, North Korea's top envoy to Switzerland, among other officials.

In a separate dispatch, the KCNA reported that Cassis paid a courtesy call on Jo Yong-won, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, on the same day. Jo is considered a close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Cassis's trip to Pyongyang was followed by his visit to Seoul on Friday.

Seoul's foreign ministry said Cassis met with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and separately with Jeong Yeon-doo, vice foreign minister responsible for North Korea affairs, to share details of his discussions in North Korea.

Switzerland is a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, an independent body established to oversee the enforcement of the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Switzerland established diplomatic ties with North Korea in 1974, but rather than a formal mission, it operated a humanitarian cooperation office in Pyongyang from 1997 until shutting it down in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening of the diplomatic office in Pyongyang marks Switzerland's first political and diplomatic presence in North Korea.

elly@yna.co.kr (END)

N. Korea reports on Swiss FM's visit following opening of diplomatic office

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，10月31日（韩联社）——朝鲜官方媒体周六报道，朝鲜外相崔善姬本周早些时候与访问平壤的瑞士外长举行了一对一会晤，讨论了促进对话与合作的问题。

崔顺实与瑞士外交部长伊格纳齐奥·卡西斯举行了会谈。卡西斯自上周五起对朝鲜进行了为期两天的访问，此前瑞士在平壤开设了第一个外交办事处。

据朝中社报道，双方讨论了“促进两国外交领域对话与合作的问题，并就共同关心的国际形势交换了评价和看法”。

该新闻媒体称，“会谈在友好气氛中进行”，但未作详细说明。

2026年10月30日，朝鲜外相崔善姬（右五）在平壤与瑞士外长伊格纳齐奥·卡西斯（左四）举行会谈。这张照片由朝鲜官方媒体于次日发布。（仅限韩国境内使用，禁止转载）（韩联社）

出席会谈的还有朝鲜方面副外相郑东学、朝鲜驻瑞士最高代表赵哲洙等官员。

据朝中社另一篇报道，卡西斯当天还礼节性拜访了朝鲜劳动党中央委员会书记赵容元。赵容元被认为是朝鲜领导人金正恩的亲信。

卡西斯结束平壤之行后，于周五访问了首尔。

首尔外交部表示，卡西斯分别会见了国家安全顾问魏成乐和负责朝鲜事务的外交部副部长郑延斗，分享了他在朝鲜的会谈细节。

瑞士是中立国监督委员会的成员，该委员会是一个独立机构，旨在监督结束 1950-53 年朝鲜战争的停战协定的执行情况。

瑞士于 1974 年与朝鲜建立了外交关系，但并未设立正式使团，而是从 1997 年起在平壤设立了人道主义合作办公室，直到 2020 年因 COVID-19 疫情而关闭。

瑞士在平壤设立外交机构，标志着瑞士首次在朝鲜建立政治和外交存在。

elly@yna.co.kr（完）

朝鲜方面报道了瑞士外长在外交办事处开馆后访问朝鲜的情况。