Myanmar says that it has restored diplomatic relations with North Korea after severing them 24 years ago.

Myanma Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu said Thursday that he signed a normalization agreement with North Korean counterpart Kim Yong-il the same day. The Pyongyang official arrived in Yangon on Wednesday.

The two countries have held informal contacts in recent years to normalize ties.

The Southeast Asian country severed ties with the North following the October 1983 bombing attack on the visiting South Korean delegation of then-President Chun Doo-hwan. Myanmar had concluded that the attack which claimed 21 lives was conducted by North Korean agents.