A North Korean foreign ministry delegation led by Vice Minister Ri Kil Song departed Pyongyang on Thursday to begin a tour of Southeast Asia, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The short state media dispatch announced that the delegation will visit Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia during the tour.

The visit follows on Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong’s extensive tour of the region in 2014, which was widely seen as a push to diversify ties, both diplomatically and economically.

“I think they are absolutely looking to diversify,” Adam Cathcart, a lecturer from Leeds University told NK News.