North Korea's first female foreign minister, Shoye Sun-hui

International Desk: North Korea has appointed veteran diplomat Shoe Sun-hui as its first female foreign minister. The country's state-run media reported the news on Saturday. Cho has previously served as North Korea's deputy foreign minister. According to the state-run KCNA, a meeting chaired by the country's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, nominated him to head the foreign ministry. He replaces the radical former military officer Ri Sun Gon. Gon led the North's historic talks with South Korea. Shoe worked as a close associate of Kim during the negotiations on a nuclear deal with the United States. Kim also attended the summit of then US President Donald Trump. He also has a special reputation for fluent English. Shuye took over as foreign minister at a time when North Korea is conducting a series of missile tests in defiance of international sanctions. The country has also rejected calls from the United States for talks on its nuclear program. So his new responsibilities are expected to be quite challenging.