Charge d'Affaires of the DPRK in Kuwait Ryu Hyun Woo fled to South Korea. This was reported by the South Korean agency Yonghap, citing a source.
According to the publication, Ryu may be the son-in-law of the former head of the so-called Directorate 39, which serves as the black cash desk of the North Korean regime. When exactly the diplomat fled to South Korea, the publication does not specify.
Maeil Business Newspaper reports that the diplomat fled in 2019, two months after the escape of North Korea's Ambassador to Italy, Cho Sung-gil. It is noted that the diplomat decided to take such a step for the sake of the future of his children.
In 2018, it was reported that the number of refugees from North Korea to South Korea decreased significantly under the rule of the current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. At the same time, according to the South Korean ministry of association, in 2019, 1,047 North Korean citizens fled to South Korea.
