THE UN sent senior official and former US diplomat Jeffrey Feltman to North Korea yesterday amid heightened nuclear tensions with Washington.

Mr Feltman, the Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs, is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, diplomats and UN agency staff.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Pyongyang invited Mr Feltman to visit during the September UN general assembly.