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North Korean diplomat defected to South Korea from Cuba, reports say
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/senior-north-korean-diplomat-defected-south-korea-cuba-chosun-ilbo-says-2024-07-16/North Korean diplomat defected to South Korea from Cuba, reports say
By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park
July 16, 2024 1:23 AM EDT Updated 5 hours ago
SEOUL, July 16 (Reuters) - A senior North Korean diplomat based in Cuba defected with his wife and child to South Korea in November, South Korean media reports 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, 52, told South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo he was a counsellor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba. Yonhap News Agency also reported Ri had defected to the South, citing an anonymous government source.
The South's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, declined to comment on the reports, citing privacy issues.
Among Ri's jobs at the embassy was to block North Korea's rival South Korea and old ally Cuba from forging diplomatic ties, Chosun Ilbo reported. In February, the two countries established diplomatic relations.
[...]
By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park
July 16, 2024 1:23 AM EDT Updated 5 hours ago
SEOUL, July 16 (Reuters) - A senior North Korean diplomat based in Cuba defected with his wife and child to South Korea in November, South Korean media reports 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, 52, told South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo he was a counsellor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba. Yonhap News Agency also reported Ri had defected to the South, citing an anonymous government source.
The South's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, declined to comment on the reports, citing privacy issues.
Among Ri's jobs at the embassy was to block North Korea's rival South Korea and old ally Cuba from forging diplomatic ties, Chosun Ilbo reported. In February, the two countries established diplomatic relations.
[...]