Tag: Nuclear Threat

Senior U.N. official to visit North Korea: First time in six years

It would mark the first high-ranking visit by a U.N. official to North Korea since his predecessor Lynn Pascoe traveled to the North in February 2010 and former U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos went there in October 2011.

NEW YORK/SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) — A senior United Nations official will visit North Korea this week for “wide-ranging” discussions, a spokesman said Monday, amid heightened tensions over the regime’s latest missile test.

Jeffrey Feltman, undersecretary general for political affairs, will travel to Pyongyang Tuesday to discuss “issues of mutual interest and concern” with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and others, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. He plans to stay for four days.

“The visit is in response to a longstanding invitation from the authorities in Pyongyang for policy dialogue with the U.N.,” he told reporters, according to multiple news reports. “It will be a wide-ranging discussion.”

Feltman’s visit will come a week after North Korea test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile apparently capable of striking anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

The North declared that it has completed its “state nuclear force” with the latest Hwasong-15 test.

He will meet with North Korean government officials, U.N. officials and the diplomatic corps there, the spokesman said.

This photo, taken by AFP on Dec. 4, 2017, shows Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, who will visit North Korea this week. (Yonhap)

This photo, taken by AFP on Dec. 4, 2017, shows Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, who will visit North Korea this week. (Yonhap)

It would mark the first high-ranking visit by a U.N. official to North Korea since his predecessor Lynn Pascoe traveled to the North in February 2010 and former U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos went there in October 2011.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon planned to visit the now-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong in May 2015, but the North abruptly canceled its approval for the trip.

Experts expect that Feltman’s visit may set the tone for Pyongyang to come to the negotiation table.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his willingness to serve as a mediator to resolve the problem of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea’s unification ministry also voiced hope that Feltman’s trip could help the North change its course.

“We hope that the visit can pave the way for North Korea to come to dialogue,” said a ministry official said, asking not to be named.

Completion of ‘nuke force’ in New Year’s message from Kim Jong Un?

Licorne test 1971, French Polynesia
Photo: The Official CTBTO Photostream

N.K. leader may make official completion of ‘nuke force’ in New Year’s message: Seoul

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may make the completion of its nuclear program official in his New Year’s message, a Seoul official said Tuesday.

The North announced last week that it has completed its “state nuclear force” with the launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it claims is capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

Kim is likely to declare the achievement in his New Year’s speech, a South Korean unification ministry official said.

“After that, the North may unveil its stance on how to carry out the so-called byongjin policy,” the official said, referring to Kim’s signature dual-track policy of seeking nuclear armament and economic growth in tandem.

Seoul has rejected Pyongyang’s unilateral claim to have completed its nuclear program, saying that there are doubts about the North’s missile capability, including the re-entry and terminal guidance technology.

Experts said that the North is likely to shift its focus to ways to bolster its feeble economy in the face of tougher international sanctions.

The ministry official also said that there is a need to watch how or whether the North would hold a meeting of “Mallima pacesetters.”

Mallima is an imaginary horse that can run extreme distances at a very high speed. The term is used in North Korea to highlight the country’s push to get people to produce results quickly.

North Korea announced in January its plan to hold a conference under the new slogan for self-reliance at the end of this year. The conference would involve top performers who are leading efforts to overcome the country’s economic difficulties. But the North’s media has barely mentioned it.