A high-profile North Korean diplomat stationed in Cuba has defected to the South, Seoul’s spy agency has confirmed to the BBC.
The political counselor is believed to be the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to escape to South Korea since 2016.
The diplomat defected in November, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said.
Details about defections of North Koreans often take months to come to light as the defectors must take courses on South Korean society before they are formally integrated.
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His work reportedly involved stopping Havana from forging official diplomatic ties with Seoul. However, in February, the two governments did establish official relations, in what was seen as a setback for Pyongyang.
“Every North Korean thinks at least once about living in South Korea,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Some integrate better than others most certainly. Younger defectors might go to Korean universities. Older ones might go work in factories or wherever they’re a good fit. Some want to go back to North Korea because they can’t handle the cultural differences.
This guy is higher-profile than most, so he’s prolly gonna live pretty kushily.
Can they go back? Wouldn’t they risk imprisonment or execution?
Naw. They ain’t going back. There’s no program to send them back and it would be a massive security risk.