14ymedio, Havana, 9 August 2024 — With a salary of 500 dollars and being the second man of the North Korean Embassy in Havana, Ri Il-gyu – who escaped from his country last November – managed to smuggle Cuban cigars into China. The business, with which he financially supported his family during his mission on the Island, was one of the most picturesque pieces of information that the former diplomat revealed this Friday to the British network BBC, about his highs and lows in reaching Seoul, where he now resides. Ri was considered part of the 1% of the population of North Korea that can be considered “rich.” However, he stated, his standard of living was still below that of a middle-class family in the South. Hence, he did what was necessary – including the sale of cigars – to improve the lives of his family.
He lived in Cuba from 2011 to 2016, and then, in a second period, between 2019 and 2023. The Island became a strategic ally for North Korea because of its geographical proximity to the United States, and Kim Jong-un recognized Cuba’s place in the tensions between the two countries.
With cigar smuggling he was able to support his family during their time on the Island
On the issue of nuclear weapons, for example – a common subject when discussing North Korea – Ri considers that Kim “will never give up his nuclear weapons” no matter how much he seems to be in favor of Donald Trump, who could once again be the leading voice in Washington.
He admits, however, that Pyongyang could reactivate the negotiations, paused in 2019, to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of the U.S. sanctions that weigh it down. The North Kor