Russia's Investigative Committee on Wednesday announced it has opened an investigation into the disappearance of a North Korean diplomat's wife and teenage son in Russia's far eastern region of Primorsky Krai.
Siberia.Realities, a regional outlet of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Russian service, reported that the missing persons—Kim Kum-Sun, 43, and 15-year-old Park Kwon-Chu—were last seen on Sunday in the city of Vladivostok. The Kremlin-run weekly Argumenty I Fakty reported that they are believed to be the wife and son of North Korean Council Choi En Nam, who is reportedly working in Vladivostok.
The news of the recent possible defection of a diplomat's family comes as the relationship between North Korean leader Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin has grown stronger. Kim has publicly sided with Putin in his war against Ukraine, and U.S. officials have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with weapons, which Pyongyang has denied.
According to Siberia.Realities, the diplomat filed a missing persons report and police said the two could be trying to flee to China or South Korea.
Baza, a popular Russian news Telegram channel, wrote that police reports show a North Korean citizen and her son left the diplomat's residency in Vladivostok on Sunday morning in a taxi before getting into another car that traveled to the city of Khabarovsk.
Police reportedly interviewed the first taxi driver, who said he dropped the two off on Vladivostok's Russkaya Street, which was said to have been confirmed by closed-circuit TV footage.
Another Russian Telegram channel, Amur Mash, reported that it is believed the diplomat's wife and son flew to Krasnoyarsk—a city in Siberia—by plane from Khabarovsk while using fake documents of South Korean citizens.
Newsweek could not independently verify the information reported by Baza or Amur Mash.
The Korea Herald reported that a similar situation occurred in 2016 when a North Korean diplomat stationed in Russia defected to South Korea. The envoy was staying at the consulate general in Vladivostok at the time and possibly defected with his family, according to the Seoul-based newspaper.
Siberia.Realities wrote that citizens of North Korea often try to escape Kim Jong Un's dictatorship to democratic South Korea through Russia, "since the border between Russia and North Korea is not as tightly guarded as between North and South Korea."
The outlet also noted that South Korea offers a rehabilitation system for people who have defected from North Korea.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
