North Korea abruptly cancelled a planned visit by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, only a day before he was to arrive and visit the Kaesong joint industrial park.  It would have been the first visit by a UN chief in more than 20 years.

Ban says the cancellation was “deeply regrettable” and that no explanation was given.  He was already in Seoul and preparing to go over to Kaesong to “urge North Korea to co-operate with the international community for the Korean Peninsula and for peace and stability”.

Last Month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called off a planned visit to Moscow, just as abruptly as Ban’s visit to the North was cancelled.