A former North Korean diplomat who defected, Ri Il Gyu, previously a political affairs counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, appeared on a television program to share his first impressions of meeting Kim Jong Un in person. Ri recalled, “I thought, ‘Why is his face so red, like someone who has been drinking?'” He added, “You also start feeling breathless when you’re near him. You can hear his wheezing clearly.”
On Monday, Ri appeared on Channel A’s TV show Now on My Way to Meet You, where he recounted his first encounter with Kim Jong Un in November 2018 during a state visit by Miguel Díaz-Canel, the head of Cuba’s State Council, to North Korea. As the official overseeing the event, Ri was responsible for organizing the visit.
Reflecting on the moment, Ri said, “I met Kim Jong Un without any prior preparation. I could have mentally prepared myself if I had been waiting in the VIP lounge. Instead, Kim Yo Jong (Kim Jong Un’s younger sister and deputy director of the Workers’ Party) suddenly requested a runway inspection. When I returned after checking the area, Kim Jong Un had already entered the lounge.” Ri admitted that he had hoped Kim Jong Un wouldn’t speak to him. However, Kim Jong Un broke the silence by asking him, “Hey, what time is the plane arriving?”
Ri also described Kim Jong Un’s appearance in detail, stating that he appeared smaller in person than on television. “On TV, he looks massive, but in reality, he is quite small,” Ri explained. “His face is extremely red—that really stands out.” He also noted, “His hands are very plump. Because of the excess flesh, when he stretches out his fingers, they appear bent.”
Ri commented on Kim Jong Un’s health, saying, “When you’re near him, you feel out of breath too,” and adding, “It was clear to me that he is not a healthy person.”
Since defecting in November 2023, Ri has been making a series of revelations about North Korea. In a previous interview with Munhwa Ilbo, he remarked on former South Korean President Moon Jae In, stating, “He was completely deceived by North Korea and suffered all kinds of humiliation.”