Senior N.K. official arrives in Vietnam for global meeting

A senior North Korean communist party official arrived in Vietnam Wednesday to attend an international conference amid global pressure over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

   Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, was seen at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport with several aides after reportedly visiting Dubai. He left Pyongyang on Monday and traveled via Beijing.

   Ri, a former North Korean foreign minister, plans to attend the 18th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in Hanoi on Friday.

   During the conference, he is widely expected to reiterate Pyongyang's position that its nuclear and missile programs are a self-defense measure.

   Last month, the North conducted its fifth nuclear test and fired a ballistic missile shortly afterward in defiance of international sanctions and pressure.

   Ri is expected to meet with Vietnamese government and communist party officials in an effort to repair bilateral ties amid the international squeeze.

   Vietnam, which has traditionally had close ties with North Korea, has been seen implementing the latest U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution on Pyongyang.

   After Vietnam, Ri is scheduled to visit Indonesia and meet with senior officials there. (Yonhap)