North Korean delegation attends Trump’s UN speech, skips Lee’s

A North Korean delegation attended U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly, but was absent during President Lee Jae Myung's address later in the day.

Trump was the second speaker to take the podium during the general debate of the high-level session of the 81st UN General Assembly held in New York on Tuesday.

Two North Korean diplomats sat in the General Assembly Hall and listened to Trump’s speech. But Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN, did not attend.

Trump used his speech to emphasize U.S. sovereignty and strength while addressing issues including Iran, immigration and AI.

The North Korean delegation was absent when Lee delivered his speech that afternoon. North Korean representatives also did not attend Lee’s address to the UN General Assembly last year.

Lee laid out his vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and also urged the speedy resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks.

The North Korean delegation was also found to have sat in seats other than those assigned to it by the UN.

Seating in the General Assembly Hall is determined by a public draw to select the country that will occupy the first seat, with the remaining countries arranged in alphabetical order.

The North Korean delegation had originally been assigned seats in the 10th row of the far-left section when viewed from the podium. Instead, the delegation sat in the second-to-last row of the far-right section.

The delegation reportedly asked the UN to change its seats, although the reason for the request was not confirmed. Some observers speculated that the move may have been intended to avoid contact with the South Korean delegation.

The South Korean delegation was seated in the third section from the right, in the third row from the front.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong is attending the UN General Assembly and is scheduled to take the podium on Monday.

Kim also attended last year’s General Assembly, where he reiterated North Korea’s nuclear weapons policy.

"We will never give up nuclear, which is our state law, national policy and sovereign power as well as the right to existence," Kim said at the time. "Under any circumstances, we will never walk away from this position."

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]