North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Arrives In New York To Attend UN General Assembly

(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul/New York, Sep 26 (IANS) North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong has arrived in New York to attend the ongoing United Nations General Assembly, in what would be the North's first high-level attendance at the UN gathering in seven years.

A delegation led by Kim has departed Pyongyang for the 80th UN General Assembly, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) earlier said.

Kim arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 11:45 p.m. Thursday (local time) on an Air China flight.

Reporters waiting at the airport asked Kim whether he plans to hold bilateral talks with the US side, but he left the airport in a vehicle from North Korea's mission to the US without responding, Yonhap news agency reported.

It marks the first time that North Korea has sent a high-level delegation to the UN General Assembly since 2019, when leader Kim Jong-un's last summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, ended without a deal.

From 2014 to 2018, North Korea's foreign minister -- first Ri Su-yong and later Ri Yong-ho -- attended the annual session.

Since then, Kim Song-gyong, North Korea's permanent representative to the UN, has represented Pyongyang at the General Assembly.

The vice foreign minister is reportedly scheduled to deliver a speech Monday (local time), the final day of the general debate, marking the first address at the General Assembly by a North Korean official dispatched directly from Pyongyang in seven years.

Earlier on September 23, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had attended the UN General Assembly in New York.

Lee had said, "I would like to express my respect and gratitude to all Members of the United Nations and staff of the UN Secretariat for their contribution to world peace and shared prosperity. I extend my sincere congratulations to Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock on assuming the Presidency of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly. I also pay tribute to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his unwavering dedication and hard work. I hope the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly will achieve even more meaningful results under their outstanding leadership."

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