North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong left New York on Sunday, wrapping up a five-day trip that focused on highlighting what Pyongyang calls "U.S. hostile policy" so as to make the case for the communist nation's nuclear development.

Ri took an Emirates flight to Dubai from John F. Kennedy International Airport.

His trip to New York drew keen media attention as it marked Ri's first since tensions spiked following the North's fourth nuclear test in January, its long-range rocket launch in February and the adoption of a new U.N. sanctions resolution last month.

Ri last visited New York in September to attend the U.N. General Assembly.

Speculation had arisen that the trip could provide opportunities for Ri to hold talks with U.S. officials, such as Secretary of State John Kerry, amid growing concern that the North could conduct yet another nuclear test. But no such meeting took place. 

Instead, Ri held a rare media interview on Saturday where he proposed to put a moratorium on nuclear tests if the U.S. suspends annual joint military exercises with South Korea, which the North has long denounced as a rehearsal for invasion.

Ri also attended the high-level signing of a landmark U.N. climate deal, known as the "Paris Agreement," which was adopted in December to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. He also attended a meeting of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. (Yonhap)