For North Korea, UN membership is a key link to larger world
(WorldNews China)

TOKYO (AP) — Hermit Kingdom? Not quite. To pay close attention to North Korean diplomacy is to notice the many ways it upends the stereotype of the isolated, nuclear-armed wildcard of Northeast Asia. Yes, the country`s propaganda services are prone to rhetoric meant to convey a sense of towering fury, mostly for domestic consumption. But before the coronavirus outbreak sealed its borders, North Korea`s state media reported on a steady stream of select foreign diplomats, academics, journalists and delegations trooping up to the capital, Pyongyang. Along with scattered embassies throughout the world, the North also has a permanent mission at the United Nations in New York, where one of its...