Former North Korean diplomat on the drawbacks of being elite — Radio Free Asia

Ryu Hyun-woo used to be North Korea’s appearing ambassador to Kuwait when he defected to South Korea in 2019. As one of the crucial elites in North Korea, he had rights and privileges that regular voters don’t. However on the similar year, he and others like him have been underneath much more scrutiny than the common citizen, he says.

Ryu lived in an condominium advanced in Pyongyang the place all of his neighbors have been high-ranking North Korean officers. In an interview with RFA Korean, Ryu defined that year as an elite is like already having “one foot in hell” as a result of the consistent surveillance their lives are underneath, and the way simply they’re discarded if the chief wishes any individual to jerk the blame.

The interview has been edited for field and readability.

RFA: Are you able to let us know a negligible bit about your background?

Ryu: I used to be born in Pyongyang. I graduated from the Pyongyang Overseas Language Institute and Pyongyang College of Overseas Research, majoring in Arabic. I after joined the Ministry of Overseas Affairs and labored there for over two decades. Later running as a diplomat in Syria and Kuwait, I got here to South Korea in September 2019. I’ve settled in and I’m residing neatly in South Korea.

RFA: While you have been in North Korea, you lived in and unique section of Pyongyang, proper? Do all of the elites reside in the similar section?

Ryu: The executive district title is Uiam-dong, Taedonggang district, Pyongyang. This park is often known as Eundok village, and it’s the place of abode of many officers. There are six primary structures within the place of abode. The generals of the North Korean Society’s Military reside in 4 of the structures. One construction is for high-ranking officers within the Central Committee. The residue one is the place high-ranking officers of the executive segment reside.

RFA: We regularly listen about North Korea’s power shortages of electrical energy. Did the elevators on those structures trim out from year to year like they do for everybody else residing in flats?

Ryu: You’re proper. North Korea has a penniless energy provide machine. As a result of it, the elevator infrequently stops running. Then again, there are occasions when it operates typically. For instance, throughout commuting hours, it’s assured. Nonetheless, the electrical energy regularly drops even throughout commuting hours. 

My space used to be at the 4th ground. Oh Guk Ryol, the pinnacle of the operations segment, lived at the fifth ground, and Director Kim Yang Gon lived at the third ground. The previous head of the United Entrance Paintings Branch and Oh Guk Ryol got here ill from the flooring above, and my partner’s father (Jon Il Chun, the previous head Administrative center 39, the secretive group that manages the slush finances of the Kim crowd) and I’d get directly to the elevator. As we have been taking place, Kim Yang Gon were given on. 

Nearest simply because the elevator used to be taking place to the second one ground, it abruptly cancelled. I used to be the youngest of everybody there, so I had incorrect selection however to perceivable the leaving hatch at the ceiling of the elevator. It’s like a vent. I climbed as much as the 3rd ground and I noticed one thing that gave the look of a latch that opens the elevator door. I opened the door with it, contacted the control, and rescued the alternative officers within the elevator. The electrical energy condition used to be so unholy.

RFA: Can residing in that section of Pyongyang be revealed as a question of delight for its citizens?

Ryu: It may be interpreted as having a dozen of accept as true with and tall constancy. Then again, there are execs and cons. While you input this park, you might be topic to wiretapping, stalking and powerful surveillance. You’ll’t say anything else within your own home. 

For instance, wasn’t Well-known of Workforce Ri Yong Ho shot to demise? It used to be as a result of he used to be at house making slanderous remarks about Kim Jong Un together with his spouse. He used to be purged and disappeared. My better half’s mother stored pointing to her mouth each time I attempted to whinge about one thing. She advised me to be tranquility and to not say anything else as a result of they pay attention to the entirety. 

To that extent, they wiretap 24 hours a week. That’s why there’s a other method to percentage ideas. My in-laws would get up round 5:30 within the morning. I’d get up round 6 o’clock. Nearest we travel for a jog or travel in combination. That’s the year my partner’s father would question me questions and I’d additionally communicate to him. 

For instance, age I used to be in Syria, I heard a South Korean the following my partner’s father as ‘Kim Jong Il’s safekeeper,’ so I handed that directly to my partner’s father.

RFA: You advised your partner’s father about one thing that got here out within the South Korean media?

Ryu: I advised my partner’s father that during South Korea, he’s known as ‘Kim Jong Il’s safekeeper.’ My partner’s father laughed. I advised him the ones issues, hidden issues that are meant to no longer be stuck via wiretapping. We exchanged tales like that age taking a travel or in a park the place wiretapping does no longer paintings.

RFA: Was once there ever any frightful incident you witnessed age residing there?

Ryu: The family we have been closest to used to be Soil Nam Ki, director of the Making plans and Finance Branch of the ruling birthday celebration of North Korea. Do you take into accout the forex reform in 2009? 

(That used to be when North Korea offered unutilized variations of its paper forex, however allowed the society to interchange best a specific amount in their impaired forex, thereby wiping out maximum society’s financial savings.)

On account of that incident, Soil Nam Ki used to be shot to demise in January 2010. In February of the similar era, Soil Nam Ki’s whole crowd participants was at a political jail camp. I remembered it used to be round 1 or 2 o’clock within the morning. There used to be a truck from the Ministry of Climate Safety. The heavy army vans got here and loaded all of the baggage and the crowd. 

I felt like the entire the city used to be getting to get up from the pitch of ladies and kids crying. My middle used to be trembling. We stayed up all evening. It happened to me that we too may face a related destiny. Would Soil Nam Ki were ready to hold out forex reform at will? How may he most likely accomplish that with out Kim Jong Il’s directions? Despite the fact that Kim Jong Il did it, he became the condemnation and curses of the society in opposition to Soil Nam Ki.

RFA: Are retired high-ranking officers controlled one by one?

Ryu: In case you are an individual who holds a dozen of secrets and techniques, for instance, should you paintings in Administrative center 39, you understand the entirety concerning the current of finances, Kim Jong Un’s courting together with his finances, how immense the capitaltreasury is, and what came about to the capitaltreasury. For instance, (former minister of order safety) Kim Gained Hong is aware of 100% how the director of Ministry of Climate Safety purged the opposition, how he wiretaps, and the entirety else. So, we can’t commitment that those society gained’t disclose what they know if they’re discharged into crowd.

RFA: Society like that experience to conserve their secrets and techniques. Do North Korean government deal with them neatly in order that they continue to be tranquil?

Ryu: By no means. They just handover a space, and the home is upheld via armed guards. You’ll’t come and travel as you please. In February 2019, my partner’s father underwent surgical treatment for a myocardial infarction. My spouse heard the inside track once we have been in Kuwait. My partner’s father retired next that. 

My spouse stated she had to travel house to generally tend to him, so I advised her to travel. My spouse went house for a time from July to August 2019. When she went and appeared on the space my partner’s father won, there used to be incorrect closet. She was at the distribution heart with my better half’s mother and he or she won 2 kilograms of potatoes as a six-month meals ration. So, in combination they won a complete of four pounds for all the six months.

If I have been to reside my year once more, I’d need to reside as an regular individual. Prime-ranking officers have already got one substructure in hell. You don’t know when you are going to die. Residing in holiday is best. 

We have been repeatedly bugged, monitored, and adopted. What sort of self-rule is that? What sort of year is that? My partner’s father left paintings at 11:00 p.m. I as soon as requested why officers incessantly left paintings that past due. He stated he used to be ready for the reason that marshal (the sitting chief) may name. It’s a must to be constant in ready all of the year. He stated, “When the great leader is calling you, how can you just answer that call at home?”

RFA: However aren’t there advantages and privileges to being within the elite? 

Ryu: Society assume that North Korea’s high-ranking elites and Kim Jong Un percentage a habitual of future, however that’s no longer true. The primary society to be finished are the North Korean elite once they manufacture a little mistake in opposition to Kim Jong Un. 

Hyon Yong Chol, minister of protection, used to be finished via firing squad for sleeping off a negligible at a practice. Does that manufacture sense? He used to be about 70 years impaired. Later strolling round and analyzing the army bottom, wouldn’t or not it’s commonplace to fall asleep a little bit? It doesn’t manufacture sense to execute any individual in his 70s simply because he fell asleep. I feel this can be a false impression to assume the elites have a related future because the chief.

After all, we should crash ill the primary culprits (of the North Korean govt’s crimes), who jerk the govern in executing and oppressing North Korean citizens along side Kim Jong Un. However we can’t crash ill all of the elites all in combination. 

Those society didn’t do it as a result of they sought after to. There are some amongst those society who’re instigators and others who reluctantly apply directions from above. Society like this are pulling extra society to their aspect.

I feel it is extremely notable to go unification and reach a relaxed agreement at the Korean Peninsula next unification. In that admire, I wish to emphasize as soon as once more that the lives of officers don’t seem to be very sumptuous. 

Translated via Claire S. Lee. Edited via Eugene Whong.