A high-ranking North Korean diplomat stationed in Cuba has defected to South Korea, Seoul’s spy agency confirmed to the BBC. This political counselor is thought to be the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea since 2016. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated that the defection occurred in November.
Details of North Korean defections often emerge months later, as defectors must complete courses on South Korean society before formal integration. According to South Korean media, the defector was a political affairs counselor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba, though the NIS has not confirmed this to the BBC.
The Chosun Ilbo newspaper identified the diplomat as 52-year-old Ri Il Kyu, who cited “disillusionment with the North Korean regime and a bleak future” as reasons for his defection. His duties reportedly included preventing Havana from establishing diplomatic ties with Seoul. However, in February, Cuba and South Korea did establish official relations, a setback for Pyongyang. The newspaper quoted him as saying, “Every North Korean thinks at least once about living in South Korea.”
Tae Yong-ho
The previous high-profile defection was in 2016 when Tae Yong-ho, North Korea’s former deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, defected to the South. On Sunday, South Korea held its first North Korean Defectors’ Day ceremony, where President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged improved financial support for defectors and tax incentives for companies hiring them. President Yoon, a conservative, has taken a more hawkish stance towards North Korea compared to his predecessor Moon Jae-In, supporting sanctions against Kim Jong Un’s regime and promising to develop technology for a pre-emptive strike if North Korea threatens Seoul.
This defection occurs amid heightened tensions between the Koreas. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has officially abandoned the goal of reunification with the South, recently calling Seoul “Enemy number One.” This marks a significant shift from six years ago when he met then-South Korean leader Moon Jae-In. In June, Pyongyang claimed to have test-fired an advanced nuclear warhead missile.