SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
North Korea on Friday confirmed that Ri Son Gwon, a former defense commander with limited diplomatic experience, has been appointed the country's new foreign affairs minister, while the
United States repeated calls for
Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
![North Korea confirms former commander is new foreign minister](https://media.zenfs.com/en-US/reuters.com/d6d21197e20cffc41cebc29c41859d71)
The official KCNA news agency reported that Ri, the latest military official to be promoted under North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un, gave a speech as minister at a New Year dinner reception hosted by the ministry on Thursday for embassies and international organizations.
A diplomatic source in Seoul told Reuters that North Korea informed countries with embassies in Pyongyang last week that Ri, a former military officer and now a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party, had replaced Ri Yong Ho as Pyongyang's top diplomat.