North Korea is expected to intensify its diplomatic offensive against the U.S. and South Korea during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York on September 23.
Having recently participated in China’s Victory Day parade, North Korea has showcased its position as a nuclear power within the North Korea-China-Russia alliance. It now demands that the U.S. treat it as a nuclear-armed nation while advocating for a two Koreas policy in its diplomacy with South Korea.
For the first time in seven years, North Korea is sending a high-ranking official to the assembly, with China and Russia as its allies on the UN Security Council.
Japanese media outlet Kyodo News reported earlier that North Korea is coordinating plans to send a senior official as a speaker for the general debate at this year’s UN assembly. A deputy minister-level official is expected to be dispatched, with Kim Sun Kyung—who oversees international organizations at the Foreign Ministry—being mentioned as a potential candidate. If a senior North Korean official addresses the UN, it will be the first time since Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s speech in 2018. In recent years, North Korea has appointed its UN ambassador, Kim Song, as its speaker.
Kim Jong Un made his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage by attending China’s Victory Day parade in Beijing on September 3. During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the September 4, he hinted at expanding North Korea’s activities in multilateral diplomacy by mentioning the UN.
Kim expressed to President Xi that it highly values China’s fair stance on the Korean Peninsula issue, and stated it will protect the mutual and fundamental interests in multilateral forums like the UN. By aligning with China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council involved in North Korea-related matters, Kim is likely to pursue a more aggressive diplomatic strategy at the UN.
North Korea’s activities are expected to focus on emphasizing its anti-U.S. solidarity as a nuclear power alongside China and Russia. Kim Jong Un’s recent appearance at the Victory Day parade, standing alongside President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin atop the Tiananmen Tower, signals that he will continue this approach at the UN. North Korea has also hinted at unveiling its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-20, aimed at the U.S., around the time of China’s Victory Day celebrations.
Strengthening the Anti-U.S. Alliance Through Enhanced Multilateral Diplomacy… Anticipating Pressure on South Korea to Accept the Two Koreas Policy
It remains uncertain whether any back-channel contacts or negotiations with the U.S. will materialize. While there’s a possibility that the U.S. might attempt to deliver a letter from former President Donald Trump, prevailing views suggest that North Korea is currently unlikely to respond to any U.S. overtures.
Given that the UN General Assembly is the largest annual multilateral diplomatic forum, North Korea may pursue diplomacy aimed at expanding its anti-U.S. coalition, in line with its alignment with China and Russia. It is also likely to attempt to undermine the effectiveness of UN sanctions by emphasizing their perceived ineffectiveness.
Regarding South Korea, North Korea is expected to pressure for acceptance of its two Koreas policy, established in December 2023. Some analysts believe that North Korea will focus more on promoting the legitimacy of this policy rather than on anti-U.S. solidarity during this UN assembly.
Kim Yo Jong, the deputy director of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, emphasized in her first statement evaluating the Lee Jae-myung administration last month that the relationship between North and South Korea has moved beyond the concept of shared ethnicity. She stressed that if the Lee administration does not accept the two Koreas policy, any conciliatory measures toward North Korea would be rendered irrelevant.
On August 19, Kim also chaired a meeting of key Foreign Ministry officials, concluding that Lee is not a figure capable of changing the course of history, and asserting that South Korea cannot be a diplomatic counterpart to the country. It is believed that during this meeting, North Korea’s strategic approach for the UN General Assembly and multilateral diplomacy was finalized.
Under this framework, North Korea is likely to exert significant effort at this UN assembly to garner international support for its two Koreas policy.
Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, stated that there’s a high likelihood that North Korea will launch a diplomatic offensive targeting the U.S. and South Korea at this UN assembly. He noted that Kim has instructed, through a meeting led by Kim Yo Jong, to maneuver the regional and international geopolitical situation to its advantage, making it crucial to closely monitor North Korea’s activities during this assembly.
