Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo has sent condolences on death of Paek Nam-sun, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said the Foreign Ministry Thursday.

Yeo sent a letter of condolence to Paek's wife, saying Paek was a patriot and effective advocate for the DPRK, according to a statement by the ministry.

"He and I agreed that our bilateral relations should be further strengthened," said Yeo, adding "the DPRK has been a good friend of Singapore and one of the first countries to recognize our independence in 1965."

Paek, who died on Tuesday at the age of 78, was appointed foreign minister in 1998. He paid his last official visit to Singapore in August 2006.

Source: Xinhua