North Korea to send vice foreign minister Kim Son-gyong to speak at UN General Assembly
North Korea plans to send vice foreign minister Kim Son-gyong to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 28.
According to the latest speaker roster from the UN Secretariat, a North Korean vice-minister-level delegate is slated to address the 81st UN General Assembly on Sept. 28, the final day of the high-level debate. Diplomatic sources identify Kim Son-gyong, a vice foreign minister responsible for international organisations, as the likely speaker, mirroring his participation last year when Pyongyang resumed sending a senior delegation after a seven-year gap.
Between 2019 and 2024, North Korea had limited its representation to its UN ambassador following the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. The scheduled speech will be delivered in New York, after the general debate runs from Sept. 22-26 and on Sept. 28. Observers will watch for any signal regarding renewed dialogue, especially after Trump expressed openness to meet the North Korean leader this year.
How this was covered
- The two sides describe this in almost entirely different words
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTCenter coverage reports North Korea’s vice foreign minister Kim Son-gyong being slated to speak at the UN General Assembly, while right-leaning coverage highlights other leaders’ speeches (India’s foreign minister) and the overall UN agenda, with no mention of the North Korean delegate.
CENTER
Center coverage presents the North Korean vice-foreign-minister’s scheduled speech as a factual update, noting the historical context of Pyongyang’s limited UN representation.
RIGHT
Right-leaning coverage frames the UN General Assembly as a platform for other leaders’ statements and broader agenda themes, emphasizing India’s foreign minister’s appearance and the summit’s focus on restoring trust and global challenges.
The right emphasises
- India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is slated to speak at the UNGA on Sept. 26.
- The UNGA will address issues such as the US-Israel war with Iran, rising food and fuel prices, and climate challenges.
- The summit’s theme is “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation,” focusing on global cooperation and the Sustainable Development Goals.
