North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho left Pyongyang on Thursday for an ASEAN forum, due to be held Saturday in Singapore, leaving many to wonder whether he will contact his U.S. and Japanese counterparts while in the city-state.
Ri is expected to make an official visit to Iran after participating in Saturday's ASEAN Regional Forum meeting of the 10-country regional bloc and other forum members, sources with knowledge of his itinerary said.
He is likely to try to strengthen relations with his counterparts, particularly those representing full members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as North Korea has recently been working to bolster its economic growth.