Pyongyang: North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong departed for New York to attend the ongoing United Nations General Assembly, the North's state media reported Friday. A delegation led by Kim left Pyongyang the previous day for the 80th U.N. General Assembly, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday morning aboard North Korea's flag carrier, Air Koryo, apparently en route to New York. This marks the first instance of North Korea sending a high-level delegation to the U.N. General Assembly since 2019, following the unsuccessful summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam.
From 2014 to 2018, North Korea's foreign minister, initially Ri Su-yong and later Ri Yong-ho, attended the annual session. Since then, Kim Song-gyong, North Korea's permanent representative to the U.N., has taken on the responsibility of representing Pyongyang at the General Assembly.
The vice foreign minister is reportedly scheduled to deliver a speech on Monday (local time), the final day of the general debate. This will be the first address at the General Assembly by a North Korean official dispatched directly from Pyongyang in seven years.