North Korea has reportedly claimed that it was not able to pay its contributions to the UN budget for the second year in a row this year, citing financial sanctions against the regime.
Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday that during a meeting of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country in February, a North Korean representative said that Pyeongyang is willing to pay its contributions, worth 167,000 U.S dollars for this year, but is not able to do so, because its banking channel has been closed.
North Korea also did not pay its share for last year, claiming that it wasn't able to transfer the money as in 2017, the UN Security Council sanctioned North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank, which was responsible for the regime`s overseas transactions.
However, a Korea expert at the United States Center for National Interest says such claim is just a strategy to try to get the international sanctions removed.