The Mexican government issued a statement declaring the North Korean ambassador persona non grata and gave him 72 hours to leave the country, to express the country’s rejection of North Koreas recent nuclear tests. / AFP PHOTO / ALFREDO ESTRELLA
(Reuters) — North Korea’s ambassador to Mexico on Friday (September 08) said its tensions with the US were not Mexico City’s business, after President Enrique Pena Nieto ordered he leave the country in protest at Pyongyang’s nuclear tests.
In a statement, the Mexican government said it had given Ambassador Kim Hyong Gil 72 hours to leave Mexico in order to express its “absolute rejection” of North Korea’s recent nuclear activity, describing it as a grave threat to the region and the world.
Expelled North Korean ambassador Kim Hyong Gil expressed great displeasure” at the decision of the Mexican government.
The North Korean ambassador branded the move as “ignorant” and said disagreement over the country’s nuclear program was an issue for the US and not Mexico.
“Yesterday September 7, the current government of Mexico, which claims it has sovereignty over foreign policy, made a decision which was ignorant. It declared the ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as ‘persona non grata’ under the pretext of a violation of international law and resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,” he said.
“Through a statement, Korea has severely condemned and completely rejected UN resolutions regarding sanctions against Korea as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty. From the beginning and to today, the nuclear program of the Korean peninsula has been marked by hostility from the United States against Korea and it has nothing to do with Mexico,” the expelled ambassador said.
“That is why I express great displeasure at the bilateral diplomatic measures taken by the Mexican government that claims to have a sovereign foreign policy, that (claim) is without basis,” he said.
Mexico has traditionally sought to steer clear of diplomatic ructions, but in the past few months it has adopted robust language to condemn the governments of Venezuela and North Korea as they descended into increasing international isolation.
Los Pinos’ step follows a tide of international condemnation of North Korea for repeated missile launches in recent weeks. An official at the Mexican foreign ministry noted, however, that President Enrique Pena Nieto’s government was not breaking diplomatic ties with North Korea.
