The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has appointed Ji Jae Ryong as the new ambassador to China to succeed Choe Pyong Gwan, the official KCNA news agency reported Tuesday.

The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's legislative body, issued a decree on Ji's appointment, the KCNA said, without giving further details.

Prior to his appointment as ambassador to China, Ji was vice director of the publicity department of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

Ji once served as ambassador to the former Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. He was vice director of the international department of the WPK central committee from 1996 to 2004. He was elected an alternate member of the WPK central committee last month.