NKorean FM in Beijing en route to UNGA

published: 2017-09-25 11:35:50(19 Sep 2017) North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrived in Beijing on Tuesday morning, en route to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. It’s not the first time a North Korean Foreign Minister has attended the UN General Assembly, but this visit comes at a time of increased tension on the Korean Peninsula. On Friday, North Korea fired its longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile after the UN Security Council imposed tough new sanctions on the North for its September 3 missile test. The US said the latest sanctions, combined with previous measures, would ban over 90 percent of North Korea’s exports reported in 2016 – its main source of hard currency used to finance its nuclear and missile programmes Ahead of the General Assembly, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday reportedly discussed North Korea’s continued nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests over the phone.

The White House said Trump and Xi were committed to “maximizing pressure” on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions.