Ri Yong-ho expected to hold second day of talks with Swedish counterpart in Stockholm

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

North Korea’s foreign minister is expected to meet his Swedish counterpart for a second day on Friday after making a surprise trip to Stockholm that has fuelled expectations about a possible meeting between Donald Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

Ri Yong-ho landed at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport on a flight from Beijing late on Thursday and spent several hours at the Swedish foreign ministry before returning to the North Korean embassy.

The Swedish foreign ministry has said the talks will focus on “Sweden’s consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia” and will also address “the security situation on the Korean peninsula”.

It said a statement summarising the talks would be made available on Friday after Ri’s talks with the foreign minister, Margot Wallström.

Ri briefly met the Swedish prime minister, Stefan Lofven, on Friday. Details about their talks were not revealed.

Ri once served as a diplomat at the Stockholm embassy. Sweden has had diplomatic relations with North Korea since 1973 and is one of the few western countries with an embassy in Pyongyang. It provides consular services for the US in North Korea.

Trump last week said he had accepted an invitation for talks with Kim but North Korea has so far not responded.