The administration of US President Joe Biden is planning to send its UN ambassador to Japan and South Korea for talks regarding North Korea.
Diplomatic sources say Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is making arrangements to travel to the two countries in mid-April. They say she is considering meeting with high-ranking government officials in Tokyo and Seoul.
On Thursday, Japan, the United States and South Korea co-hosted an unofficial UN Security Council meeting on cybersecurity. The three nations currently serve together on the council.
The three countries noted that North Korea has been acquiring foreign currency through illegal cyberattacks. Pyongyang reportedly uses the funds to bankroll its nuclear and missile development programs.
The three countries called on the international community to work together to strengthen measures against cyberattacks.
Last week, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have renewed the mandate of an expert panel tasked with monitoring sanctions on the North.
The panel was established as part of an effort to monitor the sanctions the council has imposed on Pyongyang in response to its nuclear and missile tests.
The mandate for the panel will expire on April 30. Concerns are growing that ending the panel's activities will weaken the UN's ability to monitor North Korea.
Observers say Thomas-Greenfield will likely discuss ways to guarantee the enforcement of sanctions against the North during her trips to Japan and South Korea.