Disappearance of North Korean Diplomat's Family in Russia... "Possible Defection"

North Korean Diplomat's Wife and Son Missing in Vladivostok
Moved by Taxi Without Phone... "Now Is the Right Time to Defect"

Family members of a North Korean diplomat stationed in Vladivostok, Russia, have recently gone missing. Some speculate that they may have defected ahead of the resumption of North Korea-Russia flights.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 7th, Kim Geum-sun (43), the wife of the North Korean diplomat in Vladivostok, and their son Park Kwon-ju (15) went missing on the 4th. The mother and son are known to be family members of Park, an employee of the trade delegation dispatched to the North Korean Consulate General.

A leaflet reporting the disappearance of Kim Geum-soon, a family member of a diplomat from the North Korean delegation, and Park Kwon-ju. [Image source=PrimPoisk Telegram channel]

The two took a taxi on the 4th and got off at "Nevskaya Street," not far from the Consulate General, after which contact was lost. It is reported that the mother and son got off in front of a theater without carrying phones, and when the North Korean Consulate General could not reach them, they reported it to the Russian authorities.

Local Russian media also released missing person flyers featuring their faces the day before, reporting that their whereabouts remain unknown. The flyer included the phrase "Looking for these people," along with Kim’s and Park’s ages (born in 1980 and 2008, respectively), and their physical descriptions. It also explained, "The two left the North Korean Consulate General at 12 Nevskaya Street on June 4, 2023, but have been missing since." At the bottom of the flyer, it instructed, "Anyone with information about their whereabouts is requested to contact the police."

Although the North Korean side reported them as "missing" to Russian authorities, some suggest the possibility of defection. It is believed they may have attempted to defect before the North Korea-Russia border was opened. Kang Dong-wan, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Dong-A University and director of the Busan Hana Center, who visited Russia last month, explained, "North Korean workers I met directly in Vladivostok were quite unsettled due to harsh conditions." He added, "There are recent talks in Russia about North Korea reopening its border and resuming flights. If that happens, workers and diplomats’ families are likely to return to North Korea, so if the missing family did defect, they may have judged that now is the only chance to escape North Korea."

Meanwhile, since the Kim Jong-un regime took power, defections by diplomats have become frequent amid intensified international sanctions against North Korea. When diplomats fail to secure funds to remit to their home country, they decide to defect to avoid pressure from the regime. Previously, after Thae Yong-ho, then North Korean ambassador to the UK, defected in 2016, two diplomats from North Korea’s trade delegations in Saint Petersburg and Vladivostok also defected consecutively.

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