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A senior North Korean diplomat based in Cuba fled with his wife and child to South Korea in November
Seoul’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, declined to comment on the reports, citing privacy issues.
Among Mr Ri’s duties at the embassy was to prevent North Korea’s rival South Korea and its old ally Cuba from forging diplomatic ties, the Chosun Ilbo reported. Finally in February the two countries established diplomatic relations.
Mr Rhee said he flew out of Cuba with his family, but did not elaborate on how he managed to escape.
“I bought plane tickets and called my wife and child to tell them of my decision, six hours before the defection. I didn’t say South Korea, but I said, let’s live abroad,” he said.
Disappointment
In an interview with Chosun Ilbo, Mr. Ri said, “Every North Korean thinks at least once about living in South Korea. Disillusionment with the North Korean regime and a bleak future led me to consider defection.”
North Koreans caught trying to defect face severe punishment back home, including death, according to rights groups and defectors who succeed.
Fewer North Korean defectors have reached South Korea in recent years because of tight border controls with China and high fees from brokers, rights groups and experts say.
Last year, just 196 North Korean defectors reached Seoul, down from 2,700 a decade ago, according to South Korean government data. Most of those North Korean defectors who recently defected to the South have long lived abroad, like diplomat Ri, human rights activists say.Unmute
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Source: Reuters, Chosun Ilbo
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