BEIJING, May 22 (UPI) -- A top Chinese official met Wednesday in Beijing with a North Korean delegation in the first such trip since Kim Jong Un took power, state media reported.
China's official Xinhua News Agency reports that North Korean Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae arrived in Beijing to meet with Wang Jiarui, a top official in the Communist Part of China.
It was the first time a delegation from North Korean visited Beijing since Kim ascended to power in 2012, Xinhua reports.
Neither side offered specifics regarding the agenda for the visit.
Early this week, North Korea released a Chinese fishing boat and its crew from custody. It was seized in early May for unspecified reasons.
China is viewed as a key negotiator in ensuring stability on the Korean Peninsula as one of North Korea's few allies. The Chinese Foreign Ministry had called for a full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions censuring North Korea after missiles were fired early this week.
North Korea fired a series of short-range missiles from mobile launchers this week. South Korean officials described the tests as provocative, though the U.S. government said the moves didn't raise security concerns for the region.
The Korean Peninsula has been tense since North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test in February.
