Defector from North Korea to Kuwait, Acting Ambassador: "Kim Jong-un Will Never Denuclearize"

CNN Exclusive Interview with Ryu Hyun-woo, Former North Korean Charg? d'Affaires in Kuwait, Who Defected to South Korea in 2019
"North Korea's Nuclear Program Directly Linked to Regime Stability... May Propose Nuclear Reduction Instead of Denuclearization"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Tae Yong-ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in the UK and a member of the People Power Party, along with Ryu Hyun-woo, a former charg? d'affaires at the North Korean Embassy in Kuwait who also defected to South Korea, revealed that "Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, will never give up nuclear weapons." However, they predicted that North Korea would use nuclear weapons as a bargaining chip to negotiate for sanctions relief from the international community.

On the 31st (local time), CNN reported this through an exclusive interview with former charg? d'affaires Ryu.

Ryu stated, "North Korea's nuclear weapons are directly linked to the regime's stability," adding, "Kim Jong-un considers them an essential means for his survival."

He also claimed, "The U.S. government has cornered itself by demanding complete denuclearization from North Korea from the outset without considering this situation." While the U.S. insists on denuclearization, the Kim Jong-un regime will never give up nuclear weapons, leading to a deadlock in the North Korean nuclear issue.

He reiterated the necessity of strong sanctions against North Korea regarding the nuclear issue. He said, "Current sanctions against North Korea are unprecedentedly strong measures," and added, "(These sanctions) must continue to be enforced." He further noted, "The historic first North Korea-U.S. summit in 2018 was possible because of strong sanctions against North Korea," emphasizing, "The human rights issues in North Korea, which were not discussed at that summit, must never be ignored."

Additionally, he criticized the North Korean regime's practice of collective punishment against political prisoners.

Having defected to South Korea in September 2019 with his family after leaving his post, he currently has three siblings and an 83-year-old elderly mother remaining in North Korea.

He expressed, "I am horrified by the increasingly harsh family collective punishment in North Korea in the 21st century," and said, "My heart aches at the thought that my family still in North Korea might be punished."

He also revealed that foreign currency earnings through overseas dispatched workers are assigned quotas by each embassy. He stated, "A so-called 'foreign currency acquisition quota system' is in place, where each embassy is allocated a minimum amount of foreign currency earnings to generate by the North Korean government."

It is known that about 10,000 North Korean workers were employed in Kuwait, where Ryu served. Currently, most workers have been withdrawn due to sanctions against North Korea.

CNN reported, "After North Korea's sixth nuclear test in 2017, strong UN sanctions against North Korea were enacted, significantly blocking trade with China and Russia, which were major sources of foreign currency. Consequently, North Korea turned its attention to Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait and Qatar, but even these countries banned the dispatch of workers due to sanctions, dealing a significant blow to the North Korean government's foreign currency earnings."

Meanwhile, former charg? d'affaires Ryu is regarded as one of the important figures who recently defected from North Korea, alongside Tae Yong-ho, a current member of the National Assembly and former minister at the North Korean Embassy in the UK.

At the time of his defection to South Korea in 2019, he held the rank of counselor, and it is known that his current name was changed during the resident registration process. He served as charg? d'affaires after North Korean Ambassador Seo Chang-seok to Kuwait was expelled following the UN Security Council resolution in September 2017. It is reported that he decided to defect due to concerns over his family's safety. Some speculate that former charg? d'affaires Ryu is the son-in-law of Jeon Il-chun, who once headed the Workers' Party Office No. 39, responsible for managing Kim Jong-un's ruling funds.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.