From concentration camp punishments to forcing officials to witness executions, North Korean ex-diplomat sheds light on bloody purges under Kim

A former North Korean diplomat, who fled to South Korea from Cuba last November, has offered a chilling glimpse into the brutality of the Kim regime, including a “sickening” account of a colleague’s gruesome execution after being accused of spying for the United States.

According to a South China Morning Post report, 52-year-old Ri Il-kyu in an interview to South’s Chosun newspaper described the firing-squad execution in February 2019 of Han Song-ryol, a former foreign vice-minister in charge of American affairs.

According to Ri, senior foreign ministry officials were forced to witness Han’s violent demise at the Kang Kon Military Academy near Pyongyang.

“The scene was so sickening that those who saw the execution were unable to eat for days,” South China Morning Post report quoted Ri as saying, who said he was absent from scene as he was preparing to move to Havana.

Ri also claimed that in late 2019, a former foreign minister was allegedly punished for corruption by being sent, along with his family, to a concentration camp.

However, an analyst told This Week in Asia that such claims from defectors should be viewed skeptically, as they often exaggerate their stories to increase their worth as informants.

Han, renowned for his expertise in US affairs, held prominent positions in North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, including head and deputy head of the Americas Department, as well as deputy ambassador to the United Nations. He also represented North Korea during the six-party nuclear talks in 2005.

Reports from 2019, although unconfirmed locally, suggested that Han had been relocated to a remote mine in North Hamgyong province for re-indoctrination, located in the northernmost part of North Korea.

Ri, the defector, spent a total of nine years in Havana across two assignments, where he was tasked by Pyongyang with preventing Cuba from establishing diplomatic relations with Seoul.

Despite his efforts, Cuba, a traditional ally of North Korea, eventually established relations with South Korea in February.

In November, Ri fled to South Korea with his wife and children, the report added.

Yang Moo-jin, a political-science professor at the University of North Korean Studies said most statements offered by North Korean defectors were second-hand or hearsay that were “almost impossible to confirm” independently.

“We’d better take their statements with a pinch of salt, as they are understandably tempted to exaggerate what they see or hear to boost their value as information sources”, Yang told This Week in Asia.

“The size of monetary rewards they receive here depends on how valuable their information is in the eyes of the South Korean authorities,” Yang added.

Kim Sung-min, leader of Free North Korea Radio and himself a former defector, said each defector receives a one-time resettlement package of 9 million won (approximately $6,500), a modest apartment at a low rent, and a monthly stipend of around 1 million won — equivalent to what any South Korean living below the poverty line receives.

He added that prominent defectors can earn additional cash rewards of unspecified amounts and secure positions at government institutions, in addition to these standard benefits.

Speaking to an audience of about 200 North Korean defectors on Sunday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged to significantly increase the resettlement funds provided to those escaping from the North.

“Resolving North Korean human rights issues is an important foundation for peace and unification of the Korean peninsula, and accepting North Korean defectors is the first step toward that,” he was quoted as saying.

However, Ri’s sensational allegations are unlikely to foster improved relations between the two Koreas.

According to analysts previously interviewed by This Week in Asia, North Korea has abandoned its former strategy of “United Front” aimed at reunification, and is now deeply concerned about the cultural influence of South Korea permeating its society.

“The Korean Wave [South Korean pop culture] is not slowing down despite stern punishments,” Ri was quoted as saying. “Kim Jong-un took away the people’s hope for reunification.”

With inputs from agencies