Naga diplomat Aliawati Longkumer appointed India’s ambassador to North Korea

KOHIMA — The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has appointed Aliawati Longkumer, a Naga officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), as the next Ambassador of India to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). The appointment was announced on Monday, June 16.

Longkumer is currently serving as the Charge d’Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of India in Asunción, Paraguay. He is expected to assume his new post in Pyongyang shortly, the MEA stated.

His appointment comes at a pivotal time as India reopens its embassy in Pyongyang this June after nearly four years.

The Indian Embassy in North Korea was shut down on July 2, 2021, amid pandemic-related concerns, when Ambassador Atul Malhari Gotsurve and the entire staff returned to New Delhi via Russia. Gotsurve has since been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Mongolia in March 2024.

Longkumer’s appointment marks a moment of pride for Nagaland, as he becomes one of the few from the state to hold an ambassadorial position.

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