North Korea appears to have reshuffled the top leadership of its foreign policy team during the personnel shuffles at the party plenum held from December 28-31, 2019.

Inter-Korean relations specialist Ri Son Gwon was allegedly appointed as foreign minister, replacing Ri Yong Ho. Kim Hyong Jun, who served as DPRK ambassador to Russia between August 2014 and approximately May 2019, likely replaced Ri Su Yong as the director of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee (CC) International Department, and as party CC vice chairman in charge of international affairs.  

Suggesting that Ri Su Yong and Ri