Pak, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and Vice President for the State Affairs Commission, is leading a delegation from the DPRK to participate in commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance between the two countries.

The official statement noted that the group arrived in Beijing at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

“China and the DPRK are traditionally friendly neighboring countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on the eve of the visit.

The Treaty, signed in 1961, is one of the leading pillars of bilateral relations and establishes a framework for political, economic, and mutual assistance cooperation.

The delegation’s visit comes about four weeks after President Xi Jinping’s summit in Pyongyang with DPRK leader Kim Jong-un.

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