[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] A report from the U.S. NK News stated that Ri Yong-ho, one of North Korea's key figures in diplomacy with the United States, has been replaced as Foreign Minister.
The U.S.-based North Korea specialist media NK News reported on the 18th (local time), citing sources inside Pyongyang, that Ri Yong-ho was recently replaced, and that his successor might be revealed around the time of the diplomatic chiefs' event scheduled to be held in Pyongyang on the 23rd of this month.
With Ji Jae-ryong, North Korea's ambassador to China, and Kim Song, North Korea's representative to the United Nations, already having arrived in Pyongyang, it is highly likely that a meeting of diplomatic chiefs will be held soon in North Korea. Whether the successor replacement is confirmed can also be finally verified through reports from North Korean state media such as the Korean Central News Agency or Rodong Sinmun.
Ri Yong-ho had not appeared in the group commemorative photo of the 7th Central Committee 5th Plenary Meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea, which was released by the North Korean Rodong Sinmun on the 1st, leading to speculation about his dismissal. As North Korea-U.S. relations remain deadlocked, it was suggested that Ri Yong-ho might have been replaced during another reshuffle of the North Korea-U.S. diplomatic line.
Ri Yong-ho was appointed Foreign Minister in 2016 and, along with First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, has overseen the strategy toward the United States. He was present at the Panmunjom meeting between the North Korean and U.S. leaders last year, and during the collapse of the second North Korea-U.S. summit, it was Ri Yong-ho and First Vice Minister Choe who held an emergency press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam.
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