Park Jin Meets North Korean Representative An Kwang-il at Cambodia ASEAN Summit Dinner

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] On the 4th, Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with An Gwang-il, North Korea's Ambassador to the ASEAN Mission and Ambassador to Indonesia, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' Meeting is being held.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 5th, Minister Park attended a welcome dinner for representatives of various countries held the previous evening at the Phnom Penh CICC event hall and briefly spoke with Ambassador An.

It is not confirmed what the two sides discussed. In photos released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Park, dressed in traditional Cambodian attire, is seen standing and conversing with Ambassador An, who is wearing a black suit. Unlike Minister Park, Ambassador An is wearing a mask.

Earlier, after arriving in Phnom Penh the previous day, Ambassador An appeared for the first time during this meeting period at the welcome dinner hosted by Cambodia, the chair country of the meeting.

Minister Park and Ambassador An are expected to meet again at the ARF Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in the afternoon of the same day.

Attention is also focused on what statements the representatives of South and North Korea, Minister Park and Ambassador An, will make regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula at the ARF. The ARF is the only regional security consultation body in which North Korea participates.

At the ARF, Minister Park is expected to explain the grave situation on the Korean Peninsula due to North Korea's frequent military provocations and emphasize the importance of international cooperation to achieve North Korea's complete denuclearization by stopping provocations and returning to dialogue.

In response, Ambassador An is expected to argue that North Korea's military actions are merely exercises of self-defense rights and that the international community is applying a "double standard," highlighting the unfairness of this, leading to a confrontation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.