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According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service, a former North Korean diplomat based in Cuba has defected to South Korea. He was later identified by South Korean media as Ri Il Gyu, who worked in Cuba for nine years before leaving his job in November 2023.

NK News

In an interview with South Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo, Ri, 52, joined the North's Foreign Ministry in 1999. He, among the few other diplomats who have been able to defect, chose to go straight to the South to avoid the tight security imposed by Pyongyang.

Wall Street Journal

Ri was a member of Kim Jong Un's diplomatic team that met with former US Pres. Donald Trump twice. He told the newspaper that two other diplomats, Ri Yong-ho and Han Song-ryol, disappeared after those summits.

New York Times

Ri, who left Cuba before South Korea formed diplomatic ties with the Caribbean country, said he chose to defect after the Foreign Ministry disapproved of his wish to travel to Mexico to obtain neurological medical care that Cuba lacked.

Ri further added that his parents and in-laws were killed, likely due to his defection. He said the government often punishes defectors by holding them hostage or putting them in prison.

According to South Korea, numerous members of the North Korean "elite" defect to the South, with a reported "10 former high-ranking North Korean government officials" defecting in 2023. It's become more difficult for regular citizens to defect, with  196 in 2023 compared to 1,047 in 2019.

North Korean Diplomat Defects to the South

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North Korean Diplomat Defects to the South

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