Britain has appointed David Ellis as its new ambassador to North Korea. 

U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced the appointment on Thursday, saying Ellis will succeed Colin Crooks and take up his appointment immediately in London. 

The office noted that Ellis previously served as minister and deputy head of mission in Tokyo and as minister counselor in Beijing. It added that Ellis received a full-time Korean-language training last year and this year. 

On his Twitter, the new ambassador said in Korean that he’s extremely happy about his appointment. He added that though he’s working from London for now, he plans to head to Pyongyang once the North lifts its border lockdown restrictions.

Diplomatic missions in the North were tentatively shut down after Pyongyang sealed its borders to block the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020.

[Photo : KBS News]