A senior North Korean diplomat defected to South Korea from Cuba

16/7/2024 12:07

        A senior North Korean diplomat based in Cuba defected to South Korea in November, a South Korean newspaper said on Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to escape to the South since 2016.
        
        Before fleeing to the South Ri Il Kyu was a counsellor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba, the Chosun Ilbo said citing an interview with Ri.
        
        Among Ri's jobs at the embassy was to block North Korea's rival South Korea and old ally Cuba from forging diplomatic ties, the newspaper reported. In February, the two countries established diplomatic relations.
        
        Details on North Koreans defections often take months to come to light, with defectors needing to be cleared by authorities and going through a course of education about South Korean society and systems.
        
        He told the newspaper he had decided to defect over disillusionment with the regime and unfair evaluation of his work.