 "The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un (second from left), celebrated the national holiday on Saturday by bringing his nuclear scientists and engineers to Pyongyang and holding a banquet | Photo: Reuters")
Over 20 nations have curbed the diplomatic or business operations of the North Korean government following a more-than-yearlong effort by the State Department, an indication of the kind of behind-the-scenes pressure the US is using to tackle an emerging nuclear standoff.
US officials have asked countries to shut down businesses owned by the North Korean government, remove North Korean vessels from ship registries, end flights by the country’s national air carrier and expel its ambassadors. At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit earlier this year, US diplomats made sure North Korea couldn’t secure any bilateral meetings.
Mexico, Peru, Spain
