A group of 62 Chinese students has arrived in Pyongyang to study at North Korean universities, according to the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang, a sign of continuing people-to-people exchanges between the allies despite suspicions of tense bilateral ties.

Chinese Embassy officials and staff from the DPRK’s Ministry of Education, Kim Il Sung University and Kim Hyong Jik University of Education were present to welcome the international students on Tuesday, the embassy stated in a press release. 

The group’s arrival marks the second time that state-sponsored Chinese students have entered the country to study since the outbreak of COVID-19, with