North Korea has appointed a new ambassador to Nigeria.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry announced on April 19 that Jo Young-sam has been appointed as the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to Nigeria.
Jo previously served as the director of the Foreign Ministry’s press office. It appears that he has replaced Jeon Dong-cheol, who was the ambassador to Nigeria until July 2021.
On April 10, North Korea disclosed that its new ambassador to Belarus, Ji Kyung-soo, a former vice minister of external economic affairs, presented his credentials to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. On April 7, the regime also announced the appointment of Song Se-il as the new ambassador to Brazil. Song previously served as the director of the Africa, Arab, and Latin America division of the Foreign Ministry.
During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to North Korea, it was confirmed that the deputy minister in charge of China-related affairs has been replaced, with Kim Myung-soo taking over from Park Myung-ho. These changes suggest that North Korea is undergoing a significant diplomatic reshuffle following the 9th Party Congress in February and the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly elections in March.
North Korea has declared its intention to pursue a more assertive foreign policy starting this year, indicating that the restructuring of its diplomatic corps, including heads of overseas missions, is likely to continue. During his speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly in March, Kim Jong Un emphasized the need to break away from outdated diplomatic practices and adopt new strategies that align with North Korea’s perceived enhanced global status. He stressed the importance of deploying diplomatic resources in the most effective way to promote national interests.