South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (right) poses for a photo with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan ahead of their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Thursday. Balakrishnan visited Pyongyang two days earlier, where he held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. (Yonhap) Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Thursday called for Singapore’s support in fostering an environment favorable for renewed dialogue with North Korea during talks with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan, following the latter’s recent visit to Pyongyang.According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, Cho and Balakrishnan met at the ministry building in Seoul and exchanged views on bilateral issues as well as regional and international affairs.Balakrishnan has been on a tour of China, North Korea and South Korea from Molnday to Thursday. During his trip to Pyongyang on Tuesday, he held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, according to the North's state media Korean Central News Agency.During their meeting in Seoul, Cho explained the South Korean government’s policies and efforts aimed at achieving peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and listened to Balakrishnan’s impressions from his North Korea visit, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said.Cho also requested support from Singapore and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states in helping foster an environment conducive to dialogue with Pyongyang, the ministry said.Balakrishnan expressed agreement and stressed the need for the two countries to maintain close communication to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.The visit marked Balakrishnan’s first trip to South Korea since taking office in 2015 and the first visit by a Singaporean foreign minister to South Korea since 2007.North Korean state media reported that the two sides exchanged views on how to develop bilateral ties “in a multifaceted way” by expanding exchanges and cooperation between their foreign ministries, as well as on regional and international issues.Singapore has maintained relatively cordial relations with North Korea and hosted the first summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018.Cho also assessed that bilateral ties between Seoul and Singapore have deepened further through continued high-level exchanges, including President Lee Jae Myung's reciprocal visit to Singapore four months after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s official visit to South Korea in November last year.Balakrishnan described South Korea and Singapore as friendly nations sharing core values such as free trade and multilateralism, expressing hope that the two countries would further expand and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas including trade, investment, advanced technologies and new growth industries.The two ministers also shared the view that regional cooperation frameworks such as ASEAN are important. They agreed that the ASEAN Regional Forum serves as a useful platform for discussions aimed at promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to continue related consultations and cooperation.The ministers additionally exchanged assessments of the recent situation in the Middle East. They agreed that peace in the region, as well as the freedom and security of navigation along international shipping routes including the Strait of Hormuz, are important to both countries’ security and economies as trade-dependent nations.Separately, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young also held talks with Balakrishnan.Following the meeting, Chung told reporters that he “greatly appreciates Singapore’s constructive role” regarding North Korean issues.