North Korea appoints the country's first female foreign minister, a veteran diplomat
North Korea appoints the country's first female foreign minister, a veteran diplomat
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North Korea has named veteran diplomat Choe Son-hui as the country’s first female foreign minister, according to state media on Saturday, as Pyongyang continues to conduct sanctions-busting nuclear tests while ignoring US calls for dialogue.

Choe, who formerly served as North Korea’s vice foreign minister, was appointed to run the foreign ministry at a ruling party meeting presided over by Kim Jong Un, according to state media KCNA.

Ri Son Gwon, a tough former military official who previously led discussions with the South, has been replaced.

Choe, a professional diplomat with strong English, was Kim’s close assistant during nuclear talks with the US and accompanied him to summits with then-US President Donald Trump.

On the night the two leaders’ summit in Hanoi in February 2019 collapsed without a deal, she held a rare question-and-answer session with media, blaming the failure on Washington.

“I believe the US has squandered a good opportunity by rejecting our suggestions,” she stated.

Diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington has now frozen, with the Kim dictatorship ignoring numerous US invitations to resume talks in recent months.

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In the meantime, the nuclear-armed North has conducted a flurry of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including the first full-range intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017.

Kim’s dictatorship is also planning to conduct its seventh nuclear test, according to US and South Korean officials, a move that will be met with a “quick and forceful” response, according to Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.