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Amid rising tensions with other countries, North Korea appoints a new foreign minister. The woman already has experience in the field.
Seoul.
North Korea has appointed a career diplomat and experienced negotiator in talks with the US, Choe Son Hui, as Foreign Minister.
The former deputy foreign minister was promoted at a plenary session of the ruling Labor Partys Central Committee, the state-controlled media reported on Saturday. In the future, she will be the first woman in the largely isolated state to head the ministry. She replaces the former army officer Ri Son Gwon as the new head of department.
Even as deputy minister, the nee Choe as one of the few women who held a high position in North Koreas power elite. Among other things, she played an important role in the two summit meetings between ruler Kim Jong Un and former US President Donald Trump 2018 and 2018. She also accompanied Kim in April 2022 on his first state visit to Russia.
It was initially unclear what consequences Choes promotion could have for the negotiations on North Koreas nuclear weapons program. Her appointment comes at a time when tensions are rising after a series of nuclear-capable missile tests by North Korea earlier this year. The USA and South Korea also fear that North Korea could carry out another nuclear test at any time.
Washingtons negotiations with Pyongyang have been ongoing since Kims failed second summit with Trump in February 2019 in Vietnam. North Korea then made it clear several times that it was not interested in new talks as long as Washington made no new proposals. Similarly, Choe had said there was no need to sit down.
At the recent Central Committee meeting, Kim reportedly spoke of a "very serious" security environment for the country and that it was necessary was to strengthen defense capabilities. He did not go directly into the USA. (dpa)
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