North Korean envoys to major nations recalled home for meeting

North Korean ambassadors to major nations across the world have reportedly been recalled to their country for a meeting. Envoys to China, Russia and the United Nations are among those who are meeting in Pyongyang under the orders of the Kim Jong-un regime amid simmering tensions in the Korean peninsula.

The latest development comes when the geopolitical atmosphere is changing rapidly with the North and its chief rivals — the US, South Korea and Japan — constantly stepping up their war of words. Recently, the hermit kingdom of North Korea threatened to attack the US island territory of Guam prompting stinging warnings from its adversaries.

"North Korea seems to be hosting what appears to be a meeting of foreign diplomatic missions' chiefs after calling its ambassadors to major countries back to Pyongyang," an unnamed South Korean government official told Seoul's Yonhap news agency.

North Korea's ambassador to China Ji Jae Ryong, its permanent representative to the United Nations Ja Song Nam and envoy to Russia Kim Hyong Jun are thought to be included in the list of those who are attending the Pyongyang meeting.

Officially, the South Korean government has indicated that this could be a regular meeting for the ambassadors when the country is facing punitive international economic sanctions. However, it gains additional significance as the conference takes place when there are fervent activities in the Korean peninsula.

"North Korea held the 43rd ambassadors' meeting in July 2015 and (the latest meeting) seems to be in line with that," a spokesman for South Korea's unification ministry said. Pyongyang has not yet released any official statement on the purported meeting of the ambassadors.