BEIJING/SEOUL — North Korea has sent Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang-il to Beijing for China’s annual Xiangshan Forum, putting a senior Pyongyang defense official at one of Asia’s major international security gatherings.
Kim led a North Korean delegation that departed Pyongyang International Airport on Tuesday, according to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), with officials from the Defense Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang present to see the delegation off.
The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is being held from September 15 to 17. This year’s meeting carries the theme “Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together.”
North Korea returns at a higher level
North Korea has participated in the Xiangshan Forum before, but its level of representation has varied.
Pyongyang first joined the forum in 2018, when a vice defense minister led its delegation. It returned the following year with another vice-minister-level representative.
At the two most recent editions, however, North Korea was reportedly represented by military attachés from its embassy in Beijing rather than a senior defense-ministry delegation.
Kim Kang-il’s attendance therefore marks a return to vice-minister-level participation at the China-hosted security forum.
Why the forum matters
The Xiangshan Forum was launched in 2006 by the China Association for Military Science and is frequently compared with Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, another major Asia-Pacific security gathering.
The 2026 forum comes amid heightened regional security concerns involving Taiwan, the South China Sea and broader U.S.-China strategic competition. The Korea Herald reported that hundreds of military officials, diplomats and scholars from dozens of countries are expected to participate.
China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun is expected to address the forum, where Beijing is presenting its views on international security and cooperation.
Timing follows a new phase in North Korea-China ties
Kim’s trip also comes after a June summit in Pyongyang between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the two leaders pledged to strengthen high-level exchanges, according to Yonhap.
That timing gives the latest defense-level contact additional significance, although the attendance itself does not establish that new military agreements will be reached.
The forum provides a diplomatic setting for defense officials from different countries to meet and discuss regional and international security issues.
A closely watched China-North Korea connection
North Korea and China have historically maintained close political ties, although their relationship has experienced periods of strain and fluctuating high-level contact.
The return of a North Korean vice defense minister to the Xiangshan Forum comes as Pyongyang has also been expanding its international defense relationships elsewhere, particularly with Russia.
Against that backdrop, Kim Kang-il’s appearance in Beijing places renewed attention on North Korea-China defense communication, even as the specific agenda of the North Korean delegation remains unclear.
What happens next?
The Xiangshan Forum runs through Thursday, giving Kim and the North Korean delegation an opportunity to participate in discussions alongside officials and experts from other countries.
For now, there is no public confirmation that Kim’s attendance will result in a new bilateral defense agreement with China.
What is clear is that Pyongyang has chosen to send a senior defense official back to one of China’s major international security forums — a move that highlights the continuing importance of the China-North Korea relationship as regional security dynamics evolve.
And with senior defense officials gathered in Beijing this week, attention will now turn to what North Korea says — and who Kim Kang-il meets — behind the scenes.
Leave a Reply