The summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos this week has brought together leaders from across the region to discuss ways to promote greater integration and cooperation with key partners, with officials from China, Russia, the U.S. and South Korea all attending the event.

And while North Korea does not appear to have sent a representative, the country will reportedly be one of the agenda items at the summit, underscoring the bloc’s growing importance in debates about how to tackle DPRK issues.

In fact, Pyongyang has a long history of diplomatic engagement with various Southeast Asian