North Korea now heads the top international disarmament conference that's recognized by the UN
North Korea has assumed the temporary presidency of the Conference of Disarmament.
Forty-eight nations issued a joint statement protesting the appointment but didn't stage a walkout.
North Korea has conducted six banned nuclear weapons tests since the year began.
North Korea now holds the presidency of the Conference of Disarmament, the top international forum on disarmament recognized by the United Nations, multiple media outlets reported.
The appointment comes despite the hermit nation alarming the West and its neighbors with a spate of banned ICBM tests over the last few months.
According to Agence France-Presse, Pyongyang's ambassador, Han Tae-Song, assumed the presidency of the 65-member group on Thursday and will hold it until July 1.
The conference's presidency rotates between its members in alphabetical order according to their country names in English. Currently, it is North Korea's turn to chair the meeting in Geneva.
Han opened the session by recognizing the "honor and privilege," of the role, per The Associated Press.
However, the niceties didn't last long. Han later declared before the body that his country is "still at war with the United States," per AFP.
Amanda Gorely, Australia's ambassador at the conference, read a joint statement by 48 countries expressing outrage at North Korea's assumption of the presidency, per AP. The statement said these nations were "gravely concerned" about its "reckless actions which continue to seriously undermine the very value" of the conference.
Responding to the criticisms, Han said he had "taken note" of the statement, AFP reported.
Several non-governmental organizations had initially urged a walkout of the room to signal a diplomatic protest, although none eventually took place, per the outlet. Instead, some states such as the US, UK, the European Union, Australia, and South Korea chose to send lower-level diplomats to the meeting.
The Conference of Disarmament aims to prevent nuclear war and end the nuclear arms race but hasn't produced any significant deals since 1996, the BBC reported.
Read the original article on Insider
