North Korea has actively engaged in diplomatic activities ahead of the opening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in Cambodia.

North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun, who is heading the North's delegation to the regional gathering, held closed-door bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from China, Indonesia, Cambodia and Singapore on Wednesday. He reportedly discussed food aid and economic cooperation during those meetings.

The North is apparently seeking to persuade ASEAN members that the launch of a long-range rocket in April was conducted to put a satellite into orbit.

South Korea is aiming to include in a chairman’s statement of the ASEAN Regional Forum that the North’s rocket launch was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan arrived in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. On Thursday, Kim will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart as well as meet his Japanese and U.S. counterparts in a trilateral meeting before attending the full session of the ASEAN Regional Forum.