North Korean Diplomats Watch Trump's Speech, but Are 'Absent' During President Lee's Address

[Financial News] While the North Korean delegation watched U.S. President Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22 (local time), it reportedly left its seats during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's address.
According to Yonhap News Agency on Sept. 23, President Trump took the podium for the second time and delivered his address that morning, the first day of the general debate at the high-level segment of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Kim Song, North Korea's ambassador to the UN, was absent, but two North Korean diplomats listened to President Trump's speech in the plenary hall.
However, they left their seats and did not appear during President Lee's address that afternoon. The North Korean side also did not attend the plenary hall during President Lee's speech last year.
The North Korean delegation was also found to have moved its seats to a location other than the one originally assigned by the UN. Seating in the United Nations General Assembly hall is assigned each year according to UN protocol.
A public drawing determines which country will occupy the first seat, after which the remaining member states are seated in English alphabetical order, starting with that country.
Accordingly, the seat originally assigned to the North Korean delegation was, in principle, in the 10th row from the front in the leftmost section as viewed from the podium. However, the delegation moved to the second-to-last row in the rightmost section.
The North Korean delegation was reportedly the one that requested the UN to change its seats in the plenary hall. The reason for the change has not been confirmed. However, given the considerable distance from the South Korean delegation, some observers speculated that North Korea may have intended to avoid contact with it.
Meanwhile, during this session of the United Nations General Assembly, the North Korean delegation is scheduled to hear an address by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong on Sept. 28.
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter