Senior North Korean Diplomat Arrives for Surprise Visit in Beijing

A North Korean delegation, headed by a senior diplomat, has arrived in Beijing for the first high-ranking visit since Pyongyang's January 6 hydrogen bomb test, media reported Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Ri Su-yong, a Workers' Party of Korea Politburo member, arrived for a surprise visit to China earlier on Tuesday and is expected to meet with Chinese officials, South Korea's The Korea Herald reported, citing diplomatic sources in Beijing.

The move marks the first official contact between the two countries on a senior level since relations soured after North Korea pushed ahead with its nuclear program earlier this year.

Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7, violating UN Security Council resolutions and triggering condemnation from the international community in both cases.