First senior DPRK diplomat in 9 months visiting Beijing

Pyongyang dispatched a senior diplomat to Beijing on Tuesday for talks amid China's efforts to stabilize the Korean Peninsula.

The five-day visit by Ri Kil-song, vice-minister of foreign affairs for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, opens a chance for dialogue to avoid an arms race on the peninsula, analysts said.

Ri, visiting at the invitation of China's Foreign Ministry, will meet with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese diplomats, including Vice-Minister Liu Zhenmin and Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular news conference on Tuesday.