A North Korean diplomat who had been stationed in Cuba defected to South Korea last year, a government source said Tuesday, the latest in a growing number of defections by North Koreans in elite groups.

Ri Il-gyu, who had served as the counselor of political affairs at the North’s embassy in Cuba, entered South Korea in November with his family, according to the source.

The defection came as efforts were under way for South Korea to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. In February, the two countries forged formal ties in a surprise move widely seen as a setback to North Korea, which has long boasted about its brotherly ties with the Caribbean country.

This March 19, 2024, file photo shows the North Korean Embassy in Cuba. (Yonhap)

Ri is believed to be a veteran diplomat who served stints spanning around nine years in Cuba. His latest stint reportedly involved stopping Havana from forging official diplomatic ties with Seoul, according to an interview published by Chosun Ilbo.

In the interview, Ri, w
ho was commended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his duty in Cuba, said he made the decision to defect out of frustration and anger for what he called an unfair work evaluation at the North’s foreign ministry and its refusal of his request to receive medical treatment in Mexico.

Ri is the first North Korean diplomat known to have defected to South Korea since Ryu Hyun-woo arrived in Seoul in September 2019 after serving as an acting chief of North Korea’s embassy in Kuwait.

In 2023, 196 North Korean defectors came to South Korea, nearly tripling from 67 the previous year, amid a rise in defections by North Korean diplomats and trade officials, according to government data.

Source: Yonhap News Agency