‘North Korea has no hope under Kim Jong-un’s regime’

Ri Il-gyu, a 52-year-old former counsellor responsible for political affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, appeared calm and gentle in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo at a hotel in Seoul on July 14. If not for his Pyongyang accent, it would be hard to believe he had defected just eight months ago. However, he was resolute when criticizing Kim Jong-un’s “anti-reunification two-state policy” as “an act that obliterates the soul of the nation.”

What made you think about defecting?

“The direct cause was the unfair evaluation of my efforts, leading to frustration and anger. The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is full of people from powerful families. My background is classified as ‘clerical,’ which is less favorable compared to ‘worker’ or ‘soldier.’ I started at the lowest rank and worked diligently. However, in August 2019, when I went to Pyongyang to open a North Korean restaurant in Cuba, the deputy director of the Foreign Ministry’s representative office demanded a significant bribe. Lacking funds, I deferred the bribe, saying “let’s discuss it later,” which led to resentment and attempts to recall me. After that, they continuously gave me harsh evaluations of my work.”

Is that when you decided to defect?

“While suffering from nerve damage due to a cervical spine injury last year, 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. I was enraged and became convinced that my decision to leave North Korea was correct. The passing of my parents and parents-in-law, who proudly displayed ‘Kim Jong-un commendations’ in their living rooms, also contributed to my decision.”

How did you plan your defection?

“I seriously considered defection from mid-July 2023 and executed it in early November. I lost 7 kg over those three months. I truly experienced the saying, ‘food feels like sand in your mouth.’ Six hours before my defection, I informed my wife and child without mentioning ‘South Korea,’ instead suggesting we live abroad.”

North Korea keeps passports at embassies. How did you board the plane?

“Explaining the details would allow North Korean authorities to preemptively block such methods, potentially harming those who wish to defect after me. The one hour I waited at the airport gate felt like years. For the first time, I prayed earnestly for God to protect my family, understanding why people believe in religion.”

Have you met Kim Jong-un?

“I’ve had tea with him. In person, Kim Jong-un is just an ordinary human. Up close, you can’t help but think his blood pressure must be extremely high; his face is always red like he’s been drinking, even redder than on screen. He looks almost like a Native American.”

He revealed his daughter Kim Ju-ae in November 2022.

“Kim Jong-un had been seen with Ju-ae long before her media debut. They lived in an apartment in Pyongyang’s Second Academy of Natural Sciences, where over 80% of residents work on nuclear and missile development. According to them, since she was a toddler, whenever Kim Jong-un was in a good mood, he would bring her out, saying, ‘I will show you my princess.’ Initially, it was intriguing when she was first revealed, but as she appeared in official state events like military parades, it became increasingly uncomfortable. After enduring all sorts of humiliation under these people, the thought of my children bowing to that little girl was unbearable. Many North Koreans probably felt the same.”

Do you see her as a successor?

“Personally, I find it unlikely. Absolute authority and worship require an aura of mystery. With her being so exposed, how can there be any mystery or reverence?”

Could a female leader emerge in North Korea?

“When President Park Geun-hye was elected in South Korea in 2012, Kim Jong-un was quite shocked. He told Kim Phyong-hae, the ruling Workers’ Party’s department head and secretary, that we should also elevate women to show the international community that we are a normal country.”

The 10th Bureau of the WPK Central Committee (formerly the United Front Department), rather than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led North Korea-US talks.

“Kim Jong-il frequently called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at night, with documents being reported without any time restrictions. However, since Kim Jong-un came to power, these calls have significantly decreased. There was even an order prohibiting document reports after 11 PM. Consequently, the authority and influence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been completely diminished.”

Why is that?

“Early in Kim Jong-un’s rule, he didn’t fully grasp the importance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for regime maintenance. In 2016, there was a series of defections by diplomats, including Thae Yong-ho, the former deputy ambassador to the UK. In 2017, Kim Jong-un made a direct call to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but both the then-Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan missed the call. As a result, Kim Jong-un lost trust in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and delegated the North Korea-US talks to the 10th Bureau of the WPK Central Committee.”

Around that time, the then-Vice Foreign Minister who was in charge of US affairs, and Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho fell from power. What happened to them?

“Han Song-ryol was publicly executed on charges of being a U.S. spy. On Feb. 12, 2019, senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, above the rank of deputy director, were gathered near Pyongyang Sunan Airport at the Kang Kon Military Academy to witness the execution. I could not attend as I was being assigned to Cuba at the time. Those who witnessed the execution reported being unable to eat for several days afterward. In December 2019, Ri Yong-ho was accused of corruption, leading to his entire family being sent to a political prison camp. An embezzlement case involving a secretary at the embassy in China revealed Ri Yong-ho’s involvement during the investigation of higher-ranking officials who had accepted bribes. Kim Jong-un, furious over the matter, stated, ‘No wonder he couldn’t do his job properly if he was engaged in such activities behind my back.’ He then criticized Ri Yong-ho for half a day during the third day of the Central Committee plenary meeting from December 28 to 31, 2019. Attendees remarked that they believed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs might be entirely dismantled.”

Choe Son-hui’s position as Foreign Minister appears well-established.

“There are rumors in South Korea that Choe Son-hui’s position as Foreign Minister is secure because she is the stepdaughter of former Prime Minister Choe Yong-rim, but that is not true. She climbed the ranks while working as an English interpreter for former First Vice Minister Kim Kye-gwan, who mentored her. She is articulate and, despite being a woman, is known for her authority. In North Korea, authority signifies having Kim Jong-un’s trust. At a banquet in February 2018, Kim Jong-un saw Choe Son-hui and said, ‘The Vice Minister in charge of U.S. affairs is doing a good job.’ When informed that she was a director, not a vice minister, Kim Jong-un asked, ‘Where is Kim Phyong-hae? I told you to promote capable women, so why is she still in this position?’ The next day, Choe Son-hui was appointed Vice Minister in charge of U.S. affairs.”

Do North Korean residents desire reunification?

“North Korean residents long for reunification even more than South Korean citizens. The reason is simple: they live in poverty. Both officials and ordinary citizens believe that reunification is the only way to secure a better future for their children. This sentiment is widely shared. They think that if South Korean conglomerates were to invest and create jobs, their living conditions would improve significantly.”

Why has Kim Jong-un embraced an anti-reunification stance?

“I believe the primary reason is to suppress the North Korean people’s desire for reunification. Despite strict control and punishment, the popularity of South Korean pop culture has not diminished. Previous generations at least kept reunification as a top national priority, developing policies and engaging in inter-Korean dialogues to maintain hope among the people. Kim Jong-un has cruelly extinguished even that hope.”

Who is Ri Il-gyu?

Ri Il-gyu, formerly a Counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, was born in Pyongyang in 1972. He spent his adolescent years in Algeria and Cuba, accompanying his father, who was employed by a trade company under the 10th Bureau of the WPK Central Committee (then the United Front Department). He pursued French studies at Pyongyang Foreign Language Institute, encompassing both middle and high school, and later studied Spanish at Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999. His service in Cuba spanned from September 2011 to January 2016 and again from April 2019 to November 2023, amounting to approximately nine years.

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