North Korea has appointed a new defense minister, state media said Wednesday, while making no mention of an expected step by Pyongyang to harden its position against Seoul, Report informs via AFP.

No Kwang Chol was named the new defense minister at a key parliamentary meeting, succeeding Kang Sun Nam, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported without further detail.

No Kwang Chol was part of Kim’s delegations during visits to Singapore in 2018 and Vietnam in 2019 for discussions with then-US president Donald Trump.