North Korea’s ambassador to Sweden has returned to Pyongyang following an over seven-year posting, during which he participated in the failed 2019 meeting to revive U.S.-DPRK nuclear talks in Stockholm.

Ambassador Ri Won Guk met with King Carl XVI Gustaf for a farewell audience at the Royal Palace on April 10, according to the Swedish Royal Court.

Former Swedish Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula Kent Härstedt confirmed on LinkedIn that Ri departed last week.

Ri was appointedas North Korea’s ambassador to Sweden in 2018, and Härstedt noted that the diplomat had been unable to return to his