TEHRAN -- On Tuesday, the director of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ri Ju Gwan, along with a number of staff members of the North Korean Embassy in Tehran visited the offices of the Tehran Times and the Mehr News Agency for talks with Parviz Esmaeili, the managing director of the two news outlets.

In the meeting, Esmaeili said that relations between Iran and North Korea have the potential to grow in all areas, adding that Iranian and North Korean media outlets can inform the two nations about developments in the two countries.

He stated that the people of the Korean Peninsula have been separated from each other due to the interference and hegemonic policies of the United States and some other countries.

If extra-regional powers stop interfering in the affairs of the DPRK and South Korea, the governments of the two Koreas can create a united and independent Korea, Esmaeili opined.

The United States only thinks of its own interests in its dealings with other countries, and when nations seek to restore their rights it tries to isolate them and force them to forgo their rights by making excuses and creating artificial crises, he observed.

Esmaeili also announced that the Tehran Times and the Mehr News Agency are interested in initiating cultural and information cooperation with the DPRK media.

For his part, Ri said that the Iranian people and leadership have always empathized with North Korea, adding that the DPRK leadership seeks to expand ties with the Islamic Republic in the economic, cultural, and political spheres.

Iran in the Middle East and North Korea in the Far East have established two main bases of independence and have thwarted the plots of their enemies, he added.

The countries also have many common interests, he noted.

“Our experiences have proven that we can neutralize pressure and threats through resistance,” he pointed out.

He underlined the role of the media in raising the awareness of nations and expressed his country’s interest in cooperating with the Iranian media.

He also presented a report on the situation of the North Korean press, radio, and television.

Esmaeili expressed hope that the Korean nation would become reunified one day and make progress under a united ruling system.

A representative from the Iranian Foreign Ministry also attended the meeting.