Kim Son-gyong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Korea. Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea announced on the 26th that Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Son-gyong has departed to attend the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, USA.

The Korean Central News Agency reported, "A delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, led by Comrade Kim Son-gyong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, departed Pyongyang on the 25th to participate in the 80th session of the UN General Assembly."

It is understood that Vice Minister Kim, who is in charge of international organizations, arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport in China, a transit point, on the morning of the previous day via North Korean Air Koryo.

In 2014-2015, North Korea sent then-Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong, and in 2016-2018, then-Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho to the UN General Assembly.

However, since 2019, after the "Hanoi No-Deal" summit between the North Korean and U.S. leaders during the first term of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, North Korean Ambassador to the UN Kim Song has been delivering speeches without sending a separate high-level delegation. This marks the first time in seven years that a representative from North Korea will deliver a speech at the UN.

Vice Minister Kim Son-gyong is scheduled to deliver a speech on the 29th (local time), the last day of the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly.

Yonhap News Agency