N. Korea's vice defense minister attends Chinese defense forum

North Korea's Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang-il has journeyed to Beijing to partake in China's biennial defense assembly, according to state media. Kim led the North Korean delegation aboard a flight from Pyongyang International Airport on the previous day, marking his attendance at the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday. The delegation was met by officials from North Korea's defense ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Established in 2006 by the China Association for Military Science, the forum has been dubbed China's counterpart to Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue. This year's event adopts the theme "Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together." North Korea made its debut at the forum in 2018, with the delegation led by Kim Hyong-ryong, who served as vice minister of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces.

In subsequent editions, military attaches from the North Korean Embassy in China attended due to strained bilateral relations. North Korea's decision to dispatch its vice defense minister this time around follows a June summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both leaders pledged to intensify high-level exchanges.