Analysis | He talks of war with US, but North Korea’s top diplomat Ri Yong-ho has a ‘great sense of humour’
Beneath the bluster, he has a reputation as a soft-spoken, self-deprecating diplomat whom US officials deem one of the most accessible representatives of his government
During the recent United Nations General Assembly meeting, he emerged as the fire-breathing mouthpiece of North Korea’s inflammatory government.
But here’s a little secret about Ri: beneath the bluster, he has a reputation as a soft-spoken, self-deprecating diplomat whom US officials have for years deemed one of the most accessible representatives of his government.
Ri was promoted to foreign minister in May 2016 for his adeptness at negotiating with Americans, not for hurling invective.
Watch: North Korean diplomat unloads on the United States
“He was put in that job for the purpose of being the negotiator. His speciality is negotiating with Americans,” said Gary Samore, a former US diplomat and non-proliferation specialist now at Harvard’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, who has known Ri for two decades.