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before Ri delivered a handwritten letter from Kim Jong-un

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent in New York

On Sept. 27, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong delivered a handwritten letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Ban was given the letter on Saturday during a twenty-minute meeting with Ri, who was at the UN Headquarters in New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Ban thanked Ri for the letter, the office of the Secretary-General said.

The office did not reveal what the letter said, but the content of the letter is of great interest, considering how unusual it is for the leader of North Korea to send a handwritten letter to the UN Secretary-General during the UN General Assembly. This is the first time that Ban has received a handwritten letter from the North Korean leader during his seven-year term as Secretary-General.

Since Ban has often expressed his desire to visit North Korea while he is in office, there is speculation that the letter was an invitation to North Korea. Another possibility is that the letter contained a reference to the North Korea human rights issue, now that discussions of the issue are proceeding at the UN.

Considering that this is the first time that a North Korean Foreign Minister has attended the UN General Assembly in 15 years, and that Ri is a close confidante of Kim Jong-un, delivering the handwritten letter may have been the reason that Ri attended, some analysts say.

During his meeting with the North Korean Foreign Minister, Ban emphasized that all pressing issues including denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula must be resolved through dialogue. He also said that improving inter-Korean relations is important for achieving a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

While expressing his concern about the situation inside North Korea and its need for humanitarian aid, Ban also said that it was important for UN agencies to be allowed to make contact with the North Korean people and to participate in evaluating the need for aid.

Meanwhile, Ri used his keynote speech before the UN General Assembly on Saturday to sharply criticize American policy of hostility toward North Korea, the joint military exercises with South Korea, and the political exploitation of human rights issues.

“Taking advantage of human rights issues for political purposes is the greatest infringement of human rights,” Ri said, in regard to the North Korean human rights issue. “We are opposed to all attempts to appropriate human rights issues in an attempt to overthrow the regime of specific states.”

“We are willing to have discussions and cooperate in regard to human rights on equal footing with countries that do not regard us with hostility. We are willing to promote technical cooperation and contact and pursue communication in the area of human rights with relevant international institutions including the United Nations,” Ri said.

On the topic of nuclear weapons, Ri said, “If the American policy of hostility toward North Korea is completely eliminated and if the threats to our independence and our survival are removed, the issue of nuclear weapons will be resolved.”

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