N. Korean Foreign Minister May Attend U.N. General Assembly Meeting; N. Korea, Russia, China Ministers Expected to Meet in U.S.

By Yasushi Kaneko / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

12:59 JST, August 30, 2024

NEW YORK — North Korea is considering sending Foreign Affairs Minister Choe Son Hui to address the general debate of the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September, according to a U.N. diplomatic source.

If North Korea’s foreign minister attends the general debate, it will be the first time in six years.

Choe is expected to deliver a speech on Sept. 28 or 30 during the general debate session, which will take place from Sept. 24-30.

In the speech, Choe is expected to justify North Korea’s nuclear and missile development by condemning the U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution against North Korea, as well as the U.S. military exercises around the Korean peninsula.

During her visit to the United States, Choe is expected to meet with the foreign ministers of Russia and China. North Korea and Russia have signed the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, which is an agreement to provide mutual military assistance in an emergency.

The United States might approach North Korea for a U.S.-North Korea foreign ministerial meeting to discuss denuclearization and other issues, but it is uncertain whether Pyongyang will accept.

Choe served as the first vice minister of foreign affairs and became North Korea’s first female foreign minister in June 2022. She is well versed in U.S.-North Korean relations, having led the working-level negotiations between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then U.S. President Donald Trump during their meetings in 2018 and 2019.