North Korea has ditched its foreign minister and shuffled other key posts in an apparent major shift that could significantly impact the country's diplomatic stance after 18 months of nuclear talks with the U.S.
The North notified foreign ambassadors based in Pyongyang of its recent appointment of Ri Son Gwon as foreign minister, the South's Yonhap news agency quoted unidentified sources as saying Sunday. The sources said the notification was made late last week, it said.
The decision means Ri Yong Ho, a veteran diplomat who had served as foreign minister since 2016, has been replaced with Ri Son Gwon, the now-former chairman of the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which handles inter-Korean relations.