Amid criticism, North Korea takes over as U.N. disarmament president

FILE PHOTO: Members of the Security Council attend a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., May 11, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea, which is under sanctions for developing nuclear weapons in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, has taken over as head of a U.N. body aimed at striking disarmament deals amid scorn from critics.

This year North Korea has tested a flurry of ballistic missiles - also banned by UNSC resolutions - and appears to be preparing to conduct a new nuclear test for the first time since 2017.