By J. Berkshire Miller
For the second year in a row, North Korea has become a sticking point at the recent ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
The forum, held in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, was ushered in with Pyongyang’s insistence that it must maintain its nuclear weapons program in order to deter hostile U.S. policy aimed at regime change. North Korean Foreign Minister Park Ui-chun reportedly expressed these sentiments to the other ARF ministers stressing that the North needs to “safeguard our sovereignty from constant nuclear threats of the U.S."
While the ARF is the central security gathering for ASEAN, the membership has been extended beyond Southeast Asia to include regional powers such as the United States, China, India, Japan, Russia and Pakistan. North Korea also regularly attends these meetings.
Read the full story at The Diplomat