AFP, Singapore

North Korea does not seem keen on diplomacy with Washington and Seoul, instead choosing to strengthen self-reliance and military deterrence, Singapore’s foreign minister has said after a rare trip to the politically isolated nation.

Pyongyang has repeatedly shunned peace overtures from the South Korean government while throwing its backing behind Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

The comments by Singapore’s top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan late on Thursday followed his first visit in eight years to Pyongyang, marking half a century of diplomatic ties.

“At this point in time, they... appear to not be keen on any engagement externally, either with America or even with the ROK,” Balakrishnan told local media in Seoul, using South Korea’s official acronym.

“Instead, they are focusing on building up their own self-reliance as well as their own military deterrence,” he said after the two-day working visit to the nuclear-armed state.

In recent months, North Korea has stepped up its invective against the South, labelling it the “most hostile state” and cutting all references to uniting the divided peninsula from its constitution.

Balakrishnan said he too had observed a hardening in North Korea’s stance on unification.