21.06.2013, 05:15
N. Korea to hold press conference at U.N. over ‘situation on Korean Peninsula’
NEW YORK, June 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will hold a press conference in the United Nations headquarters in New York over current political situations on the Korean Peninsula, its country’s representatives to the U.N. said Thursday. It said Pyongyang’s envoy to the U.N., Sin Son-ho, will hold the news conference at 11:00 a.m. on Friday (local time) to elaborate on the “situation on the Korea Peninsula,” they said.
“North Korea unexpectedly applied to hold a press conference,” U.N. sources said, adding it’s unclear what the country is planning to say in the press meeting. Other sources said the country may express its stance over the country’s current moves to open denuclearization talks with neighboring countries. The planned news conference marks North Korea’s first press meeting at the U.N. in three years since it held one in 2010 following the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship. The sinking is internationally believed to have been caused by a North Korean torpedo.
The plan comes as the North is increasing efforts to resume dialogue with South Korea, the U.S. and other neighbors to allay years of tensions over its nuclear activities. Earlier this month, the North proposed holding a high-level dialogue with the South. As the efforts fell through, the country suggested a similar offer to the U.S. But the U.S. has shown little interest in the offer. North Korea’s top envoy is visiting China in what appears to be the country’s efforts to secure Chinese support for its moves to mend ties with neighbors.
The U.N. committee on sanctioning North Korea plans to discuss as early as next month whether to impose further penalties against North Korea for carrying out its third nuclear test in February.
“North Korea unexpectedly applied to hold a press conference,” U.N. sources said, adding it’s unclear what the country is planning to say in the press meeting. Other sources said the country may express its stance over the country’s current moves to open denuclearization talks with neighboring countries. The planned news conference marks North Korea’s first press meeting at the U.N. in three years since it held one in 2010 following the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship. The sinking is internationally believed to have been caused by a North Korean torpedo.
The plan comes as the North is increasing efforts to resume dialogue with South Korea, the U.S. and other neighbors to allay years of tensions over its nuclear activities. Earlier this month, the North proposed holding a high-level dialogue with the South. As the efforts fell through, the country suggested a similar offer to the U.S. But the U.S. has shown little interest in the offer. North Korea’s top envoy is visiting China in what appears to be the country’s efforts to secure Chinese support for its moves to mend ties with neighbors.
The U.N. committee on sanctioning North Korea plans to discuss as early as next month whether to impose further penalties against North Korea for carrying out its third nuclear test in February.