Peru Expels North Korean Ambassador Over Nuclear Program

After Mexico, Peru has followed suit and expelled the North Korean ambassador over the country's defiance to end its nuclear program.

Mitra Taj

After Mexico, Peru has followed suit and expelled the North Korean ambassador over the country's defiance to end its nuclear program.

peru expels north korean ambassador over nuclear program

Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski attends a binational cabinet meeting at the Government Palace in Lima, Peru, July 7, 2017. Credit: Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Lima: Peru said on Monday that it was expelling North Korea's ambassador over the country's refusal to heed the world's "constant calls" to end its nuclear program.

The ambassador, Kim Hak-Chol, has five days to leave Peru, the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.

Earlier this month North Korea launched its biggest nuclear bomb test, prompting global condemnation as US President Donald Trump said "appeasement" would not work.

Peru stressed that it was committed to a peaceful solution to the dispute and "strict compliance" with resolutions passed by the UN Security Council.

The Security Council is set to vote on Monday to impose new sanctions on North Korea after the United States watered down the text of a resolution to appease China and Russia.

Peru said it would "carry out all diplomatic efforts aimed at denuclearizing the North Korean peninsula."

Peru's announcement follows a similar move by Mexico last week and US Vice President Mike Pence's public call last month for Latin American nations to isolate Pyongyang.

North Korea's embassy in Lima declined comment.

(Reuters)

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