Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who recently visited North Korea, South Korea, and China in succession, has released a video showing the streets of Pyongyang while commenting on the country's economic development.
Balakrishnan posted the roughly 30-second video of Pyongyang on his Facebook account. The footage shows high-rise apartments and buildings, public transportation including subways and electric buses, and citizens moving about the streets.
"Pyongyang is a modern, clean, and systematically planned city," he wrote in the post, adding that the city "has continued to make significant progress since I last visited eight years ago."
"The streets are busy and there are more vehicles on the roads," he said. "Many new buildings and development projects are visible."
Balakrishnan released additional footage from his tour of China, North Korea, and South Korea on the 29th. The video showed scenes from meetings with senior North Korean officials alongside images of downtown Pyongyang.
He visited North Korea on the 26th and 27th, holding talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Supreme People's Assembly Standing Committee Chairman Jo Yong-won. He then met with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young in Seoul on the 28th to discuss Korea-Singapore relations and the Korean Peninsula situation.
◇"North Korea Not Yet Ready for Dialogue with U.S. and South Korea"
In interviews with Singapore media outlets The Straits Times and Channel News Asia, Balakrishnan assessed that "North Korea is not yet ready to shift into a dialogue mode."
"North Korea is not yet ready to open meaningful channels of dialogue with the United States, South Korea, or Japan," he said. "Instead, they are focused on self-reliance and strengthening their military deterrence."
He cited the change in North Korea's perception of South Korea as the most notable shift he observed during his first visit in eight years. "North Korea is clearly and firmly rejecting the possibility of unification with South Korea," he said. "They do not acknowledge the possibility of unification at all."
He advised South Korea and the United States not to "make the situation worse," urging them to "take a long-term view and seek opportunities to provide assistance or open channels of dialogue. Some things need time to ripen."
◇"Signs of Economic Progress Despite Sanctions"
Balakrishnan also assessed that North Korea's economy is showing some development despite international sanctions.
"The sanctions regime has clearly made things difficult for North Korea," he said, but added, "I could see signs of economic development in many places, with new housing being built in Pyongyang and shops displaying goods and products."
"I didn't test it myself, but they showed us that they are doing e-commerce," he said. "They can receive deliveries within a day after placing an order. At least that's what they claim."
However, Balakrishnan drew a line, saying, "Singapore has no plans to volunteer as a mediator between North Korea and the United States and South Korea."
Singapore maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea. The country hosted the first U.S.-North Korea summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.
Meanwhile, Singapore's Foreign Ministry said that ahead of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to be held in Manila, the Philippines, in July, Balakrishnan urged Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui to maintain dialogue channels with regional countries and requested her attendance at the meeting.
The ARF has been virtually the only regional multilateral security consultative body in which North Korea participates, but Pyongyang has not attended since 2019.
