Britain appoints new ambassador to N. Korea

Simon Wood, new British ambassador to North Korea / Captured from Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Britain has appointed a new ambassador to North Korea, with the envoy set to take up the post within this month, according to its foreign office Tuesday.

Simon Wood, who recently served as deputy director for North-East Asia and China Directorate, will succeed former Ambassador to Pyongyang David Ellis, who will be retiring from foreign service, the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a press release on Monday (U.K. time).

Wood will take up his position during this month, the office said.

Ellis served as the top envoy to Pyongyang from December 2021 to February of this year.

The change in post, however, is unlikely to mean the new ambassador will physically serve in Pyongyang, as the British Embassy in North Korea has remained closed since its staff left amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only a handful of European countries, including Sweden and Poland, have reopened their embassies following the North's easing of border controls.

But Britain is unlikely to restore its diplomatic presence in Pyongyang at this stage, given its vocal criticism of Russia over the war in Ukraine, and the deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, diplomatic sources said.