Meanwhile, a Chinese foreign minister is in North Korea for the first time in eleven years this week..
This rare visit comes just a matter of days after last Friday's historic inter-Korean summit,.. and amid efforts to formally end the Korean War with a peace treaty.
Our Oh Jung-hee has more.
With discussions on the way towards declaring a formal end to the Korean War and turning the armistice agreement into a permanent peace treaty,... China is seeking to solidify its role in the negotiations.
Meeting with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said... China will continue to play a (quote) "positive role" in seeking solutions to the Korean Peninsula issue.
He also expressed support for North Korea's efforts towards denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
Welcoming the success of last Friday's inter-Korean summit, the Chinese foreign minister said... Beijing backs the improvement of inter-Korean relations as well as North Korea settling its security concerns.

He added that the traditional North Korea-China friendship is a shared and precious treasure.
The two foreign ministers agreed to improve and strengthen Pyongyang-Beijing relations following their leaders’ decision to meet in the near future.
Bilateral economic cooperation could have been on the table as well... as a North Korean minister in charge of external economic relations accompanied the North Korean side, according to a report from Pyongyang's state media.

This is the first visit to Pyongyang by a Chinese foreign minister in 11 years, raising speculation that China may be concerned about being possibly left out of the discussions to formally end the Korean War with a peace treaty.

Last Friday’s Panmunjom Declaration between the leaders of Seoul and Pyongyang stipulates that ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula could be discussed trilaterally with the U.S.
or in four-way talks with the U.S. and China, leaving open the possibility of China's exclusion.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.