The United States is reportedly working to block North Korea’s participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF) set for early next month in the Philippines.
 
Quoting a diplomatic source from the ASEAN members, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun daily reported on Thursday that Washington unofficially asked the ASEAN member nations to block the North’s participation in the regional forum.
 
The U.S. has reportedly been trying to convince the ARF nations for months to take different approaches to the North’s continued nuclear and missile provocations.
 
The 27-member ARF meeting is attended by the foreign ministers of all six nations involved in six-party nuclear talks, and one of the few multilateral ministerial meetings in which North Korea participates.
 
The North reportedly notified the ARF that it would send its Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho to the planned meeting.

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