North Korea appoints new ambassadors to Britain, Indonesia
Pyongyang, April 21 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) North Korea has appointed new ambassadors to Britain and Indonesia, the North’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, in what would mark the first replacement of its top envoys in major diplomatic outposts in about 10 years.
Mun Myong-sin has been appointed as Pyongyang’s envoy to Britain, replacing his predecessor Choe Il, in what is the first personnel reshuffle in nearly a decade, according to the foreign ministry, Yonhap news agency reported.
Mun previously served at the North Korean Embassy in London together with Tae Yong-ho, a high-profile North Korean defector who worked as the North’s minister at the same diplomatic mission.
North Korea’s foreign ministry also announced the appointment of Hong Kwang-Il as the new top envoy to Indonesia, who also assumes the post as ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
It marks the first time that the North has formally announced the appointment of the top diplomat stationed in Indonesia since 2015.
North Korea has also sent a new ambassador to Belarus on April 12, Pyongyang’s state media had reported earlier, in a sign of deepening bilateral ties following Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang last month.
Ji Kyong-su, a former vice minister of external economic relations, presented his credentials to Lukashenko, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
During the ceremony, Ji conveyed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s “warm greeting,” to which Lukashenko expressed his gratitude, the report said.
Lukashenko visited North Korea on March 25 and 26, holding summit talks with Kim in Pyongyang. The two sides signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding collaboration across various sectors.
Observers say North Korea and Belarus have been drawing closer as both countries align diplomatically and politically, particularly in their support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Belarus plans to open an embassy in North Korea by August 1, according to a Belarusian news report.
Pyongyang has recently appointed new ambassadors to Nigeria and Brazil as well, as it seeks to revive international diplomacy, as it vowed to actively pursue a foreign affairs policy based on the national interest.
