North Korea to participate in Paris climate accord signing

North Korea will participate in the Paris climate agreement signing ceremony to be held later this month at the UN headquarters in New York, the UN spokesperson's office has said.

North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong will participate in the ceremony, Xinhua on Tuesday reported quoting the office as saying on Monday.

However, a reported meeting between UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the foreign minister on the sidelines of the ceremony cannot be confirmed, the office said.

More than 130 countries have confirmed to attend the Paris agreement ceremony on April 22, the first day that the agreement will be open for signature, according to the UN.

Adopted by the 196 parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris agreement sets a target of keeping the global average rise in temperature below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably below 1.5 degrees.

On the basis of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, developed countries agreed to raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries transform their economies.