The U.S. government has banned high-ranking North Korean officials including Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan and Ri Gun, director-general of the U.S. affairs bureau at the North‘s Foreign Ministry but permits visits from mid-ranking North Korean officials at the invitation of private U.S. groups for economic, cultural and educational purposes.

Meanwhile, Choe Tae-bok, the chairman of the North‘s Supreme People‘s Assembly, visited the United Kingdom for four days starting on March 28 to ask for food aid.