Kim Jong-un to miss Iran summit

THE GUARDIAN

North Korea's figurehead head of state - rather than its supreme leader, Kim Jong-un - will attend a summit of non-aligned developing nations in Iran next week, Pyonyang's official KCNA news agency has reported.

There had been rumours Kim, who succeeded his father Kim Jong-il in December, would visit Tehran to mark his first trip abroad as leader of the isolated and impoverished state.

However, KCNA said figurehead leader Kim Yong-nam would represent the country at the summit for developing nations not tied to any major political alliances.

"Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, will attend the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement to be held in Tehran and will make an official goodwill visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran at the invitation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," KCNA said.

Rumours that Kim Jong-un would make the trip came as North Korea is believed to be planning to experiment with major farm and economic reforms after Kim and his powerful uncle removed the country's top generals for opposing change.

Kim has also presented a sharply different image from his reclusive and dour father, making a number of public appearances.

The Non-Aligned Movement is one of few multilateral forums North Korea has taken part in, but the country's supreme political leader has not attended the summit in decades, opting instead to send a figurehead representative.

North Korea, which has had close ties with Iran, is believed to have supplied Tehran with ballistic missiles and also to have co-operated in nuclear weapons programmes.

North Korea is under UN security council sanctions after its missile and nuclear tests. The sanctions cut off much of its previously lucrative arms trade, which had been a rare source of income for the otherwise destitute country.