Top North Korean diplomat Ri Su Yong left Pyongyang on Tuesday to lead a delegation of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) to Laos, state-run outlet the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Ri is believed to be part of a group of officials spotted arriving at the North Korean embassy in Beijing after arriving in the Chinese capital Tuesday morning, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

Serving multiple roles as a member of the Political Bureau, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the WPK, and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), Ri