North Korean Diplomat Defects to the South

The Facts

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.