A group of DPRK government officials led by Minister of External Economic Relations Kim Yong Jae will attend this week’s second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, state media reported on Tuesday.

In a dispatch by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), it was confirmed that the group had departed Pyongyang for the conference, which is due to last from Thursday to Saturday.

The news follows reporting earlier in the day around 1355 local time by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency that Kim and a delegation had been spotted arriving at Beijing airport. 

South Korean finance minister Hong Nam-ki