A high-ranking North Korean diplomat responsible for political affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Havana has fled to South Korea with his wife and son. Although the escape occurred in early November of last year, it was only recently disclosed when Ri Il-gyu, the diplomat behind the daring escape, gave an interview to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
In the interview, the 52-year-old former counselor confirmed that he fled from Cuba with his family but refrained from providing details on how he managed the high-risk escape. When asked about the reasons for his defection, Ri cited multiple factors, including unjust evaluations of his efforts.
Reasons Behind the Defection
“In August 2019, when I went to Pyongyang to open a North Korean restaurant in Cuba, the deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' representative office demanded a significant bribe. As I lacked the funds, I postponed the bribe and said, ‘we’ll discuss it later,’ which led to resentment and attempts to remove me. Following that, I consistently received harsh evaluations of my work,” Ri explained.
Ri Il-gyu added that in 2023, he requested permission to go to Mexico for medical treatment unavailable in Cuba, which was denied. “Last year, while suffering nerve damage from a cervical spine injury, I requested permission from the Ministry to go to Mexico for treatment, as Cuba lacks medical equipment due to sanctions. Less than 24 hours later, my request was denied. This angered me and convinced me that my decision to leave North Korea was correct,” he added.
The former diplomat revealed that it was mid-last year when he seriously considered defecting. He lost 7 kilograms in three months due to stress. Finally, six hours before the escape in November, he informed his wife and son that they would be changing countries.
When asked how he boarded a plane given that North Korea does not allow direct access to passports for its officials, the former high-ranking official declined to answer. “Revealing the details would enable North Korean authorities to preemptively block those methods, which could harm those wishing to defect after me. The hour I spent waiting at the airport gate felt like years. For the first time, I prayed fervently for God to protect my family and understood why people believe in religion,” Ri concluded, not implicating any Cuban entities in the escape, though it is hard to believe no Cubans were involved in his astonishing flight.
Ri Il-gyu has become the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to the South since 2016. Among Ri's duties at the embassy was preventing South Korea and Cuba from establishing diplomatic relations.
Interestingly, just a couple of months later, in February of this year, South Korea and the Cuban government reestablished diplomatic relations and are currently in the process of opening embassies in both nations. North Korea still maintains an embassy in Cuba, although its ambassador returned to his country in March.
In the interview conducted at a hotel in Seoul on July 14, the former North Korean diplomat did not miss the opportunity to criticize Kim Jong-un’s "two-state policy against reunification" as "an act that erases the nation's soul." Last year, 196 North Korean defectors arrived in Seoul, compared to 2,700 a decade ago, according to South Korean government data cited by news agencies.
Details about North Korean defections often take months to emerge as they must be authorized by authorities and undergo an educational course on South Korean society and systems. Ri joined the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999 and was once praised by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for successfully negotiating with Panama to lift the detention of a North Korean ship caught transporting weapons from Cuba in 2013.
The last high-profile defection to the South was that of Tae Yong-ho, the former deputy ambassador of North Korea to the United Kingdom, in 2016.
Key Questions About the North Korean Diplomat's Defection
Given the remarkable nature of this defection, many questions arise about the circumstances and implications of Ri Il-gyu’s escape. Below, we address some of these critical questions.
Why did Ri Il-gyu decide to defect from North Korea?
Ri cited multiple factors, including unjust evaluations of his efforts, demands for bribes by North Korean officials, and being denied permission to seek medical treatment abroad.
How did Ri Il-gyu manage to escape from Cuba to South Korea?
While Ri confirmed that he fled with his family, he declined to provide specific details on how he managed the high-risk escape to prevent North Korean authorities from blocking similar methods in the future.
What was Ri Il-gyu's role at the North Korean Embassy in Havana?
Ri was responsible for political affairs and worked to prevent South Korea and Cuba from establishing diplomatic relations.
How has this defection impacted North Korea-South Korea relations?
While the direct impact on relations is complex, the defection highlights ongoing tensions and challenges within North Korea's diplomatic corps. Interestingly, South Korea and Cuba reestablished diplomatic relations shortly after the defection.