North Korea diplomat flees to South in highest ranking envoy defection since 2016 – report
- Ri Il-kyu, a counselor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba, defected to South Korea in November, as reported by major South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo and Yonhap News Agency.
- Ri's duties included hindering diplomatic ties between North Korea and South Korea and Cuba, as per Chosun Ilbo.
- Ri received praise from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for resolving an issue with Panama in 2013, as detailed by Chosun Ilbo.
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The man who fled North Korea spoke about the situation in his home country to a South Korean magazine.
A North Korean diplomat in Cuba defects to South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s spy agency said Tuesday that a senior North Korea diplomat based in Cuba has fled to South Korea, the latest defection by members of the North's ruling elite that likely hurt leader Kim Jong Un's push to bolster his leadership.The National Intelligence Service said media reports on the defection of a North Korean counselor of political affairs in Cuba were true. A brief statement by the NIS public affairs offic…
North Korean diplomat in Cuba defected to South Korea in November, a possible blow to leader Kim Jong-un
South Korea’s spy agency said that a senior North Korea diplomat based in Cuba has fled to South Korea, the latest defection by members of the North’s ruling elite that likely hurt leader Kim Jong-un’s push to bolster his leadership.
Eight years ago, there was no instance of a diplomat in such a high position escaping to the South.
In November last year, a high-ranking North Korean diplomat working in Cuba ran away to South Korea, Bloomberg reports. A 52-year-old political affairs counselor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba, Ri Il Gye, fled to South Korea with his family. He became one of the highest-ranking defectors from North Korea in recent years who sided with Seoul.
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