In November, a senior North Korean diplomat stationed in Cuba defected to South Korea, marking the highest-ranking defection since 2016.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service confirmed the defection, initially reported by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, which identified the diplomat as Ri Il-kyu, a counsellor responsible for political affairs at the North Korean embassy in Cuba.

Ri’s role included preventing diplomatic ties between South Korea and Cuba. However, in February, the two nations established relations.

Defectors typically undergo months of clearance and education about South Korean society, The Guardian has reported.

Ri, who joined North Korea’s foreign ministry in 1999, had previously been commended by Kim Jong-un for negotiating the release of a North Korean ship detained in Panama in 2013.

He cited disillusionment with the regime and unfair evaluations of his work as reasons for his defection.

Written by B.C. Begley