Switzerland has formally resumed its diplomatic presence in North Korea, following a visit by Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, who became the first Swiss official of his rank to travel to the country since 2003. Cassis spent time in Pyongyang on 29 and 30 October before continuing his journey to Seoul. The Swiss foreign ministry stated that the primary objective of the trip was to re-establish direct political dialogue with North Korean authorities, reinforcing Switzerland's commitment to maintaining communication channels with both sides of the divided Korean Peninsula.
The diplomatic office officially restarted its operations on 19 October. While it operates in Pyongyang, the facility remains under the oversight of the Swiss embassy in Beijing, which continues to hold responsibility for consular and diplomatic relations. Previously, the Swiss office in the North Korean capital focused on humanitarian cooperation, but it was closed in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Although the two nations have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1974, regular political consultations had ceased after 2019.
During his visit, Minister Cassis held meetings with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Jo Yong Won, a secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee. Their discussions encompassed the restoration of political dialogue, security concerns on the Korean Peninsula, and broader security challenges facing both Europe and Asia. In comments made to the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS, Cassis noted that he had offered Switzerland's assistance in facilitating dialogue to alleviate regional tensions, a proposal he described as being well received. North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, characterized the discussions between the two ministers as taking place in a "friendly atmosphere," though it provided few specific details on the content of the talks.
Following his time in the North, Cassis traveled to Seoul on 30 and 31 October to meet with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and senior foreign ministry official Jeong Yeon-du. During these meetings, he briefed the South Korean officials on his discussions in Pyongyang. According to Seoul’s foreign ministry, Jeong expressed hope that the reopened Swiss office would assist South Korea in its own efforts to engage with the North. The visit occurred against a backdrop of heightened military activity, as South Korea reported that North Korea fired approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday, one day after Seoul had requested military talks to avoid accidental border incidents. Additionally, Switzerland continues to support the armistice that halted the Korean War in 1953, maintaining a presence through the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission at Panmunjom, where Cassis also met with the head of the Swiss delegation to review the current security environment.
