In this file photograph dated Dec 7, 2018 DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho attends a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping (not in photograph) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (PHOTO / AFP)

SEOUL - The foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Ri Yong-ho has been replaced,  Seoul-based NK News reported on Saturday.

The usually well-informed outlet, citing multiple unnamed sources in Pyongyang, said Ri would be replaced by Ri Son-gwon, the former chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country (CPRC), who played a prominent role in inter-Korean talks in early 2018.

Ri Yong-ho has been replaced,  Seoul-based NK News reported Saturday. Ri "could be" replaced by Ri Son-gwon, who played a prominent role in inter-Korean talks in early 2018

NK News said the move, of which there has been no mention in official media, was part of a major political reshuffle that could have a significant impact on the country’s diplomatic stance. The outlet said it would likely be confirmed on or before Thursday, when an event for resident diplomats is scheduled in Pyongyang.

The Republic of Korea (ROK's) unification ministry, which is in charge of DPRK affairs, has said that any change in Ri's status should be assessed cautiously.

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The US State Department, which has been seeking unsuccessfully to revive talks aimed at persuading DPRK to give up its nuclear weapons, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ri Yong-ho, who was born in 1956, did not attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in September. He had attended the high-level meeting in New York for three years from 2016 to 2018.

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North Korea News said his absence from a group photo of top ruling party officials at a meeting in January raised speculation that he may have been replaced amid a broader political reshuffle that saw notable promotions and possible demotions of prominent figures in DPRK’s military, Cabinet, and more.

A fluent English speaker who studied at Pyongyang’s prestigious University of Foreign Languages, Ri Yong-ho has for years held a number of high-level posts dealing with the West.

From 2003 to 2007, he was DPRK’s ambassador in London and served as vice-foreign minister, representing DPRK at now-defunct six-party talks on Pyonyang's nuclear program.