North Korea's new leader hosted a dinner in Pyongyang for senior political officials visiting from China, state media said Friday, in what marked Kim Jong Un's diplomatic debut and a sign that he is turning his attention to foreign affairs, AP reported. Kim held talks with a Chinese delegation led by Wang Jiarui, head of the Communist Party's international affairs office, and then invited the group to a dinner attended by North Korea's political elite, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kim told Wang that the North Korean government is focused on boosting the economy, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. The meeting marks Kim's first official diplomatic foray since he took over as leader following the December death of his father, Kim Jong Il. Kim, who is believed to be 29, has been swift in moving to build loyalty among North Korea's 24 million people and to establish control over key institutions such as the military and ruling Workers' Party. He also has been quick to show his rule will differ in focus and style from that of his father, who kept his personal life out of the state media, rarely traveled abroad and met only selectively with foreign dignitaries. After gaining the new title of marshal and shuffling the military leadership last month, Kim Jong Un made the surprise introduction of his wife, Ri Sol Ju. At Thursday's talks with the Chinese, he reiterated his government's focus on building the economy, according to Xinhua. Seated next to him was Vice Premier Kang Sok Ju, the seasoned diplomat who accompanied Kim's father to China last year. "Developing the economy and improving livelihoods so that the (North) Korean people lead happy and civilized lives is the goal the Workers' Party is struggling towards," the news agency reported Kim as telling Wang.
