Ri Il Kyu, a former senior North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea, speaks to reporters at Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo, Oct. 9, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
TOKYO — A senior North Korean diplomat who defected two years ago painted a grim picture of life in the hermit kingdom Thursday as he described his disillusionment and escape from the totalitarian regime.
Ri Il Kyu, who most recently served as a counselor of political affairs for the North Korean embassy in Cuba, said Pyongyang is slowly changing thanks to an influx of South Korean and international media.
However, as long as Kim Jong Un is in power, no major changes will occur, he told reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo.
“A free life and stable future are not guaranteed to North Korean residents, including the elite,” Ri said.
During his approximately 4 ½ years in Cuba, Ri’s mission was to prevent the normalization of relations between South Korea and Cuba and to counter “proactive human rights pressure by the international community,” he said during his presentation.
Ri authored a memoir, “The Kim Jong Un I Saw,” that was published Oct. 7 in Japan.
In November 2023, Ri said he made up his mind to defect with his family. However, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba was closed and South Korea was still four months away from establishing official diplomatic relations with the island.
Luckily, a lone South Korean diplomat assisted with his escape, and he successfully defected that month, Ri said.
He became the highest-ranking North Korean official to defect since 2016, the Asahi newspaper reported in July 2024.
Ri Il Kyu, a former senior North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea, speaks to reporters at Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo, Oct. 9, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Despite his relatively privileged upbringing, including attending the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies — which he described as an institution available only to elite families — Ri said he became disenchanted with life in North Korea.
“Unlike the regime’s explanation that North Korea is a people-centered welfare state, I painfully realized that North Korean society is following the law of the jungle, which focuses on maintaining the absolute power of one person,” Ri said via a translator.
“It’s a society where only absolute obedience ensures survival,” he said.
Reflecting on North Korea today, Ri said a wide variety of factors have influenced the population to slowly change, including South Korean entertainment, international aid, human rights advocacy groups and even sanctions.
“There are many people who are realizing that North Korea is going the wrong way,” he said. However, the country has a long way to go before reaching freedom and democratization, Ri added.
“My hope is that my friends and colleagues who are left in the North — and North Korean residents — can enjoy a better life,” he said. “I hope that freedom and democracy are guaranteed in North Korea as soon as possible.”
AloJapan.com