Is North Korea coming out after five decades of self-imposed isolation? The answer would be yes, if you read the recent headlines.
Recently it has agreed to reopen talks with the United States, whose leader in January labelled it part of an 'axis of evil' - along with Iran and Iran - and accused them of developing and selling weapons of mass destruction.
Then on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun, making a rare international appearance, shook hands with his Japanese counterpart Yoriko Kawaguchi at the Asean regional security meeting in Brunei, and announced Pyongyang's readiness to restart talks for diplomatic normalisation despite Japan's accusations that at least 11 of its citizens had been kidnapped by North Korean agents.
Initial talks with the South began yesterday, with Seoul urging Pyongyang to reopen stalled, cabinet-level dialogue later this month and seeking a formal apology for a deadly naval clash in June.
To cap it all, officials have abruptly announced to the North's citizens - but not to the outside world - that from this month the average wages of workers will rise tenfold to compensate for huge increases in the cost of foodstuffs and rent.
Is North Korea suddenly making a Chinese-style transition to a market-based economy? Not quite, according to analysts in Seoul.