Peru expels North Korea ambassador over nuclear test blast

LIMA, Peru – Peru’s government has declared North Korea’s ambassador persona non grata and given him five days to leave the nation in retaliation for the Asian country’s recent nuclear test blast.

The foreign ministry said Monday that it decided to expel Ambassador Kim Hak-chol because of Pyongyang’s repeated flaunting of resolutions by the U.N. Security Council against its nuclear program.

Peru’s action follows a similar rebuke recently by Mexico.

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence during a tour of the the region asked four Latin American nations with diplomatic relations with Pyongyang to break those ties in order to boost pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

Peru established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1988. It has no embassy in the country however.