"I am a Flower Child Wearing a Tie"... Testimony of a Defector Diplomat Earning Living Expenses through Smuggling

Former Ri Il-gyu, North Korean Embassy Charg? d'Affaires in Cuba
Defected to South Korea Last Year... Interview with Japan's Yomiuri

"The monthly salary was 500 dollars (about 670,000 won). I smuggled Cuban cigars to make living expenses."

Lee Il-gyu, former charg? d'affaires at the North Korean embassy in Cuba who defected to South Korea, testified about the harsh conditions during his overseas assignment that forced him to engage in smuggling to cover living costs.

In an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun released on the 9th, Lee said, "Kim Jong-un lives lavishly while the North Korean people suffer from famine. The sight of his daughter Ju-ae wearing luxurious clothes and receiving salutes from officials causes resentment among North Korean citizens," adding, "The dictatorship must collapse."

Former Counselor Ri Il-gyu, who worked at the North Korean Embassy in Jukuba and defected in November last year, is speaking on the topic of "Assessment of Kim Jong-un's Misrule in North Korea" at the NK Forum hosted by the Institute for National Security Strategy, held on the afternoon of the 27th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He continued, "North Korean diplomats who work without receiving appropriate compensation are like street children wearing neckties," and revealed, "Overseas, North Korean diplomats face unfriendly views, while South Korean diplomats are welcomed. I wanted to say, 'I am from South Korea.'"

He also reported that resentment toward Kim Jong-un is growing inside North Korea. According to Lee, North Korean diplomats are divided into two groups. One group consists of 'orthodox diplomats' dispatched overseas from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of External Economic Relations, and the other group consists of 'unorthodox diplomats' affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, including military attaches involved in nuclear weapons manufacturing and fundraising.

A celebratory performance and banquet commemorating the 79th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party were held on the 10th at the Central Cadre School of the Workers' Party, attended by Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 11th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Lee is the highest-ranking diplomat to enter South Korea since Tae Yong-ho, former People Power Party lawmaker and then charg? d'affaires at the North Korean embassy in the UK, who defected in 2016. Lee is known to have developed a friendship with Tae through playing table tennis together in North Korea.

When Lee defected last November, Tae said, "He was a Cuba expert recognized by both Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," and added, "He personally drafted many documents related to Latin American issues that were submitted to Kim Jong-un."

Subsequently, on the 10th, Lee stated at an emergency situation discussion hosted by the National Unification Advisory Council (Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council) that "It is necessary to continuously recruit those dispatched overseas." He explained, "By constantly injecting external information to North Korean overseas dispatches, they can return to Pyongyang and explain to acquaintances, colleagues, and family about the unification plans promoted by the South Korean government and global changes, which is an effective method."

He also added, "It is important to widely publicize successful cases of North Korean residents settling down to stir internal unrest in North Korea." Regarding the recent surge in high-ranking defectors, including diplomats, he said, "The North Korean regime's unfortunate reality is that all they can do is monitor by calling once in the morning and once in the evening to check if people are present locally."

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