The appointment of Ri Ryong Nam indicates that Pyongyang is working to strengthen its economic cooperation with Beijing, its traditional friend, and largest trade partner. The diplomatic appointment affirms that amid the growing geopolitical muscling against Beijing, President Xi is keen to resume economic and strategic cooperation with Kim Jong-un in a turbulent East Asia
@Kunal_Chonkar
New Delhi: The appointment of an ambassador indicates the relationship north between the two nations. Be it a seasoned, career diplomat or a political appointee influencer, the person serving as the senior-most representative reflects the path a country wants to pursue with the host nation.
After more than a decade, North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un has changed his nation’s top diplomat to China. According to the information published on February 19, by the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea, vice-premier of the North Korean Cabinet and former minister of External Economic Affairs (minister) Ri Ryong Nam has been appointed as Pyongyang’s new ambassador to Beijing. The change in the diplomatic representation came against the backdrop of the eighth Congress of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) held in January, and the second plenary session of the eighth WPK Central Committee held this month, thus attracting much attention.
China Man – Ri
According to senior geopolitical analysts, Ri Ryong Nam, who has studied in Beijing is a polymath of China. He has previously held important positions in North Korea’s economic and trade departments, and answered to the sobriquet ‘China Man.’ Born in Pyongyang in 1960, Ri has studied at Beijing Foreign Language University and is fluent in Mandarin, and Cantonese. He began his political career in 1994. During that time, he served as Secretary to the Minister of Economic Affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Singapore. In 2001, Ri Ryong Nam served as Vice Minister of Trade (vice minister) in the Ministry of Trade of North Korea and was promoted to Minister of Trade seven years later, with primary responsibility for attracting foreign investment. There are reports highlighting that a 48-year-old Ri Ryong Nam, then was the youngest ministerial cadre in the North Korean Cabinet.
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In June 2014, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea issued a decree, which included the investment committee and national economic development committee into the ministry of trade. It also transformed the ministry of trade into the ministry of external economic affairs, and immediately Ri Ryong Nam was transferred to the minister of external economic affairs. At the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly in June 2016, Ri Ryong Nam was selected as vice-premier of the Cabinet, in charge of North Korea’s external economic department. The year 2019, saw Ri Ryong Nam’s official career-making major advances in Pyongyang’s leadership as he was elected as an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee. In addition, Ri Ryong Nam has repeatedly appeared at economic and trade events between North Korea and other countries.
In 2014, he was first introduced as North Korea’s external economic affairs minister when he met with the visiting special envoy of the Mongolian President. At that time, it is said that Ri facilitated a detailed discussion and sketched a roadmap of further development of economic and trade cooperation ties between the two nations.
In September 2019, Ri Ryong Nam went to Russia to participate in the 5th Eastern Economic Forum. During a meeting with Russian Primorsky Territory Governor Oleg Kozhemyako, Ri Ryong Nam said that North Korea is committed to promoting economic development and plans to strengthen cooperation with Russia in all areas of the Far East. He even proposed deep cooperation between North Korea and Primorsky Territory in infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. In October 2014, when he single-handedly roped in $25 billion of investment in railroads to North Korea from Russia, he received widespread attention and a direct ear of the leadership.
Economic Exponent – Ri
In September 2018, during South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to North Korea, it said that it was Ri who arranged and lead a special economic meeting between the two Koreas. At the meeting, Ri Ryong Nam met with the political leadership, key economic figures of the four major South Korean groups, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-wo. Media reports of the meeting painted him as the pillar of the economic cooperation between the North and South. Another noted media statement on Ri was that South Korean companies ‘were eager to meet Ri, who introduced them to Pyongyang’s leadership.’ In addition to his expertise in China and economic perspicacity, Ri Ryong Nam is also well versed in handling legal affairs.
According to media reports, Ri Ryong Nam is reportedly the nephew of Ri Myong Su, a beloved general of the late North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Il and former chief of general staff of the Korean People’s Army. Ri Myong Su was promoted to the rank of general in 2000 and became the minister of people’s security a year later.
After Kim Jong-un took power, Ri Myong Su was elected as a member of the Politburo of the WPK Central Committee and the Central Military Commission at the fourth WPK Congress held in April 2012. He was later elected as a member of the National Defense Commission at the fifth session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea.
In February 2016, Ri Myong Su became chief of general staff of the KPA; and two months later, he was awarded the title of the second marshal. When Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met for the first time in Panmunjom in April 2018, Ri Myong Su was one of the top officials accompanying the North and saluted Moon as he shook hands with him. In July 2018, Ri Myong Su stepped down as chief of the general staff of the KPA. In addition, Ri Myong Su also had served as the first deputy commander of the supreme command of the KPA.
In fact, Ri Ryong Nam’s wife is also an expert on Beijing’s political and economic affairs. Ri Ryong Nam’s wife used to engage in the promotion of North Korean foreign trade and is now the chief executive officer of Sogwang Media, the official media of North Korea. Ri Ryong Nam’s wife’s brother is the president of Pohang Trading Company in North Korea.
Diplomatic Appointments – North Korea and China
The history of the exchange of ambassadors between China and North Korea dates back to the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Diplomatic records indicate that a total of 14 ambassadors have been sent to Beijing by Pyongyang.
On 6 October 1949, China and North Korea formally established diplomatic relations, which became the cornerstone of the development of friendly relations between China and North Korea. Previous North Korean ambassadors to China were mainly held by the vice-minister of the International Department of the WPK and other cadres of the WPK. This was because sensitive issues between North Korea and China were handled by the International Department of the WPK of North Korea. In January 1950, North Korea’s first ambassador to China, Ri Chu-yo’n, arrived in Beijing, opening the chapter of North Korea’s ambassador to China.
According to reports at that time, on 18 January, a number of important government officials, including Ri Chu-yo’n and more than 20 people of consuls Ch’oe Yo’ng and Kim Kuk-po-suk and the families of his entourage, took a train from Pyongyang to Beijing. Pak Ho’n-yo’ng, vice chairman of the North Korean Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ho Ho’n, chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), and Hong Nam-p’yo, vice chairman of the SPA Standing Committee, and other key government officials saw them off at the station.
Fourteen Mission Heads
The 14 ambassadors, including Ri Yong Nam, who were sent to Beijing since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea were: Ri Chu-yo’n (1950-1952), Kwon’s O-chic (1952-1953), Ch’oe Il (1953-1957), Ri Yo’ng-ho (1957-1962), Han Yik-su (1962-1964), Pak Se-ch’ang (1964-1966), Hyo’n Chun-ku’k (1967-1977), Cho’n Myo’ng-su (1977-1983), Sin In-ha (1984-1988), Chu Ch’ang-chun (1988-2000), Ch’oe Cho’n-su (2000-2009), Ch’oe Pyo’ng-kwan (2009-2009), Chi Chae-ryong (2010—2021), and Ri Ryong-nam (2021).
The longest-serving ambassador was Chu Ch’ang-chun, who served in China from 1988 to 2000, a period of 12 years. Among the 14 ambassadors, Ch’oe Pyo’ng-kwan tenure is the shortest. He took up his post in April 2009 and was replaced by Chi Chae-ryong after only six months. Ch’oe Pyo’ng-kwan had previously served as director of the Consular Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs twice and was proficient in administrative business. Now in his eighties, Chi Chae-ryong has stepped down as ambassador to China and has been succeeded by 61-year-old Ri Ryong Nam, who continues his diplomatic mission.
The appointment of Ri indicates that Pyongyang is working to strengthen its economic cooperation with Beijing, its traditional friend, and largest trade partner. In efforts to mirror North Korea’s appointment, even China is set to appoint Wang Yajun, a senior official at the Communist Party, as a new ambassador to Pyongyang. The diplomatic appointment of both Ri and Wang affirms that amid the growing geopolitical muscling against Beijing, President Xi Jinping is keen to resume economic and strategic cooperation with Kim Jong-un.
