North Korea has dispatched a defense ministry delegation to Beijing for China’s flagship annual security conference for the first time in seven years, in the latest sign of warming military ties between the two neighbors.

The delegation, led by Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il, left Pyongyang on Tuesday to attend the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, the Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday. 

Officials from the North Korean defense ministry and the Chinese embassy saw the group off at Pyongyang International Airport, the report added.

The visit marks the first time since 2019 Pyongyang dispatched a delegation to the Xiangshan