Former army officer appointed North Korea’s new top diplomat
Seoul, Jan 24 (AFP/APP): North Korea has appointed a former army officer with little diplomatic experience as its new foreign minister, state media confirmed Friday, reflecting Pyongyang’s already declared hard-line policy toward the US.
Speculation had mounted that the country’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho had been replaced by former defense commander Ri Son Gwon as part of a major reshuffle during stalled nuclear talks with Washington.
Unlike his predecessor — who served as a diplomat for more than three decades — the newly appointed Ri is known to have little diplomatic experience.
He went to a reception for foreign envoys as the nation’s top diplomat, confirming his appointment, state media said Friday.
Attending was “DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon and other officials of the ministry,” state media reported — using North Korea’s official name.
Analysts say his appointment could indicate the country will take a harder line with the US, in line with Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear and missile test moratoriums earlier this year — and after Washington missed the North’s 2019 deadline for nuclear talks.
“Having a former army officer as its top diplomat symbolises the North’s uncompromising stance against Washington,” Ahn Chan-li, a North Korean defector and researcher in Seoul, told AFP.
“It’s very rare for someone with military background to be tapped as Pyongyang’s foreign minister.”
Negotiations between North Korea and the US have been deadlocked since a second summit collapsed in Hanoi last year over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.
North Korea has since ended its moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and said it will not return to talks unless Washington first meets all its demands in full.
