North Korean media reports foreign minister's trip to Sweden

Ri Yong-ho / Yonhap

North Korea's foreign minister has left for Sweden to meet with his Swedish counterpart to discuss bilateral ties and issues of mutual concerns, the country's state media reported Friday.

Ri Yong-ho's trip, confirmed by the North's state news agency, comes amid speculation that the North and the United States may meet in Sweden ahead of a proposed summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a short dispatch that Ri, who left Pyongyang on Thursday, will meet with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Elisabeth Wallstrom to exchange views on ties and matters of mutual interests.

Sweden's foreign ministry said, "The talks will focus on Sweden's consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia.

"They will also address the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, which is high on the Security Council agenda," it said in a statement posted on its website.

Ri, who arrived in Stockholm on Thursday, kicked off his two-day trip, which was also joined by Choe Kang-il, a senior North Korean official in charge of American affairs.

Ri is said to have met with Sweden's foreign minister for dinner and talks.

Trump has agreed to an invitation by Kim Jong-un to meet after a year of heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The summit, which Trump said would take place by May, would be the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

Sweden, which has an embassy in Pyongyang, has been frequently used as a communication channel between the U.S. and the North. Sweden is being cited as one of the possible venues for the U.S.-North Korean summit.

There is speculation that the North and Sweden may have discussed the issue of the release of three Americans detained in North Korea -- Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song.

Otto Warmbier, a U.S. college student, died last year shortly after being sent home from Pyongyang in a coma following a 17-month detention in the North. (Yonhap)