Switzerland reopens diplomatic office in North Korea as Cassis visits Pyongyang

Switzerland has formally reopened its diplomatic office in North Korea, adding a new step to a rare channel of contact between Pyongyang and a Western European state. The office resumed operations on 19 October and was formally reopened as Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis became the first Swiss foreign minister to visit North Korea since 2003. Cassis travelled to Pyongyang on 29 and 30 October before continuing on to Seoul.

The Swiss foreign ministry said the visit was intended to restore direct political dialogue with North Korea and maintain contact with both sides of the divided peninsula. Cassis met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Jo Yong Won, secretary of the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee. According to the ministry, the discussions covered political relations, security on the Korean Peninsula and wider security challenges in Europe and Asia.

Switzerland said the office will operate under its embassy in Beijing, which remains responsible for diplomatic and consular relations with North Korea. The previous office in Pyongyang had handled humanitarian cooperation before closing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bern said the reopening would allow it to deal directly with North Korean authorities and follow developments in the region more closely.

The move matters because formal diplomatic contact with North Korea remains limited, and Switzerland has long been one of the few Western countries to keep a working relationship with Pyongyang. The reopening gives Bern a direct presence at a time when tensions on the peninsula remain elevated. It also reflects Switzerland's stated aim of preserving a communication channel rather than signalling a broader shift in relations.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Cassis said he had offered Switzerland's help in facilitating dialogue to ease tensions on the peninsula, and said the proposal appeared to have been well received. North Korea's state news agency said the two ministers discussed diplomatic cooperation and international issues in a friendly atmosphere, but gave no detailed account of the talks. In Seoul, South Korean officials were briefed on the Pyongyang discussions, and one senior official expressed hope that the Swiss office could help South Korea engage with the North.

The visit came amid renewed military tensions, including North Korea's firing of around 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea on Thursday. Switzerland and North Korea have maintained diplomatic relations since 1974, but regular political consultations stopped after 2019. What remains unclear is whether the reopened office will lead to more frequent engagement or any broader diplomatic progress in the months ahead.

Switzerland has formally reopened its diplomatic office in North Korea after closing it in 2020, marking a rare diplomatic step in Pyongyang. The move came as Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis completed a two-day visit to the country, during which he held talks on political relations and security on the Korean Peninsula. The office began operating on October 19 and was formally reopened on Thursday.

Cassis said he discussed "regularising political relations and reestablishing a political dialogue" during the visit. He also said the talks covered security on the Korean Peninsula and broader Eurasian security challenges. According to the Swiss foreign ministry, the office will help strengthen direct contacts with North Korean authorities and support political dialogue.

The office will not have an ambassador and will report through the Swiss embassy in Beijing, which handles diplomatic and consular relations with North Korea. Switzerland said the office had been closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cassis met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Jo Yong Won, a secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Korean Workers' Party.

The reopening matters because Switzerland has been one of the few Western countries to maintain a dialogue with Pyongyang despite limited international contact and heightened tensions. Bern said it intends to keep its commitment to the region, suggesting the office is meant to preserve a channel for communication rather than signal a broader shift in relations. The timing also comes as security concerns on the Korean Peninsula remain a central issue in regional diplomacy.

Cassis's trip was the first by a Swiss government minister to North Korea in more than two decades. The last member of Switzerland's Federal Council to visit was then-Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey in 2003. North Korea's state news agency confirmed Cassis's arrival on Thursday, but did not give details on the purpose of the visit.

It was not known in advance whether Cassis would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and there has been no report of such a meeting. Cassis crossed into South Korea on Friday for the final leg of his regional trip, where talks were expected to focus on security on the peninsula and prospects for easing regional tensions. What remains unclear is whether the reopening will lead to more regular political engagement or any broader diplomatic progress in the months ahead.

#Switzerland #NorthKorea #IgnazioCassis #Pyongyang #diplomacy