Pyongyang official gains UN post in election division
NEW YORK: A North Korean official has secured a post at UN headquarters in New York through a programme aimed at attracting young professionals from around the globe, a UN official said Wednesday.
The North Korean has been assigned to the Department of Political Affairs under the Electoral Assistance Division, the UN official said. The division is charged with ensuring that various UN bodies provide needed assistance in the field when voting takes place.
The United States and Japan, in particular, along with some UN officials had earlier voiced concerns that if a North Korean official landed a key job within the Department of Political Affairs, the official could have access to confidential information that might advance Pyongyang’s national interests.
The current head of the department, American Jeffrey Feltman, is responsible for briefing members of the UN Security Council when an emergency meeting on North Korea is convened. A number of such meetings have taken place this year as a result of a spate of ballistic missile tests carried out by the North.
Other information the two governments fear could be accessed by North Korea includes data gathered by an eightmember panel of experts tasked by the Security Council with making recommendations on how to implement sanctions against Pyongyang.
The expert panel, consisting of the UK, China, France, Russia and the US — representing the five permanent Security Council members — as well as officials from Japan, South Korea and South Africa, collects critical information on how the North is evading sanctions. It also has access to classified intelligence and internal memos.
North Korea had been pressing hard to secure an assignment for one of its nationals at UN headquarters through the world body’s Junior Professional Officer programme, which provides temporary assignments to qualified candidates who are usually under 32.
No further information was available regarding details of the North Korean official’s employment. Participants in the programme are sponsored by their national governments, which fund their placements.
The official is believed to be the only North Korean national working at UN headquarters in New York.
While the UN official did not provide his name, he is believed to be a familiar figure to diplomats at the international body and seems to have gained a high level of trust within North Korean leadership circles — usually a prerequisite for North Koreans appointed to overseas roles.