This photo shows the 14th China-Northeast Asia Expo taking place in Changchun, China, Aug. 23. Yonhap

North Korea opened booths for visitors at a Chinese trade fair Wednesday, in another sign the North is reopening its border after more than three years of strict COVID-19 restrictions.

North Korea's participation at the 14th China-Northeast Asia Expo in Changchun, the capital city of China's Jilin province, which shares a border with the North, came a day after a North Korean commercial flight arrived in Beijing.

It marked the resumption of commercial flights connecting the two nations after a hiatus of more than 3 1/2 years caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korea installed booths to promote the country and its products at the fair, where other countries in the region, including South Korea, Russia and Japan, are taking part for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Ku Yong-hyok, second from left, North Korea's consul general in the Chinese city of Shenyang, attends the 14th China-Northeast Asia Expo in Changchun, China, Aug. 23. Yonhap

Ku Yong-hyok, the North's consul general in the Chinese city of Shenyang, appeared at the event, marking his first official public appearance in three years and seven months since the pandemic hit China.

Yun Jong-ho, the North's minister of external economic relations, sent a written congratulatory message saying that Pyongyang "will strengthen and develop a solidarity of friendship and cooperation with all countries in the world that respect its autonomy." (Yonhap)