Canada has officially opened diplomatic relations with North Korea. Howard Balloch, Canada's ambassador to China and Mongolia, presented his credentials to Kim Yong Nam, the North's ceremonial head of state, in a ceremony in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.

Instead of opening an embassy or mission in North Korea, Balloch will administer matters from the embassy in Beijing.

Canada joins several other countries who have opened relations with North Korea, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Sweden, Italy and Britain.

I'm convinced that this is part of a process that will lead to less and less isolation, and more exposure for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Balloch told the Toronto Star.

He said Ottawa hopes this move will help bring North Korea further into the international arena, and promote stability in the heavily armed Korean peninsula.

North Korea has slowly opened itself to the West in recent years. Experts say the North's main motive is obtaining overseas aid to rebuild its economy, devastated by years of disastrous weather and communist mismanagement.