Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Singaporean media following his May 26 visit to North Korea that Pyongyang was not ready to open dialogue with the United States and South Korea, but was focused on self-reliance and developing its military. He invited North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' 2026 Regional Forum, but denied a reporter's suggestion that Singapore sought a mediation role between the Koreas.

Singapore has not sent an official ranked as highly as a foreign minister to North Korea since June 2018, before Singapore hosted the first round of talks between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.