VIENTIANE/TOKYO -- North Korea's lack of high-level representation at yet another ASEAN-hosted conference suggests that Pyongyang is avoiding multilateral venues as it pursues closer relations with President Vladimir Putin's Russia. For a sixth straight year, Pyongyang did not send its foreign minister to the ASEAN Regional Forum, one of the few international ministerial conferences that North Korea participates in.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 28, 2024 19:07 UTC