Peru declares North Korea diplomats persona non grata

LIMA: Peru has declared two North Korean diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country within 15 days, according to a foreign ministry statement.

"The Peruvian government has informed the North Korean embassy of its decision to declare First Secretary Pak Myong Chol and Third Secretary Ji Hyok persona non grata," the ministry said late yesterday.

It imposed the measure "having verified that...Diplomatic personnel have carried out activities incompatible with their official duties," it added, but did not give further details.

The ministry said the decision was also related to North Korea's "continuous violations" of UN Security Council resolutions on non-proliferation -- which it said put regional and global peace and security at risk.

In September, Peru also expelled North Korean ambassador Kim Hak-Chol in response to ongoing efforts by Pyongyang to build up its nuclear force -- having already halved the number of embassy diplomats to three in March.