Peru expels North Korea ambassador as new U.N. sanctions ratified

Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Peru has expelled the North Korean ambassador to Lima, citing Pyongyang's continued tests of nuclear weapons and threat to world peace.

Peru's foreign ministry stated Monday North Korea has repeatedly violated United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions, and has asked the ambassador to leave within five days, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The announcement comes about a week after Mexico said it plans to expel its top North Korean envoy, and came the same day the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted the toughest sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime, The Financial Times reported.

In Peru, government officials said North Korea is seriously threatening international peace and security, as well as stability in the world and Northeast Asia.

Pyongyang is ignoring international calls for compliance with the law, Peru's foreign ministry said, adding, "We reaffirm our commitment to implement all diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the Korean peninsula."

Peru normalized ties with North Korea in November 1988, and a Pyongyang trade representative represents the regime, according to Yonhap.

Both Peru and Mexico appear to be keeping pace with the latest sanctions, and the measures come a month after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited both countries as well as Chile and Brazil, and called for a suspension of all diplomatic and trade ties with North Korea.

The latest U.N. sanctions is expected to prevent North Korea from earning more than $1.3 billion, place a ban on textile exports, forbid countries like China and Russia from hiring additional North Korean workers, and reduce oil exports to the regime by 30 percent, according to FT.