Ex-Diplomat Testimony Revives Stalled North Korea Abduction Talks

Ri Il-gyu, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2023, told The Sankei Shimbun in Seoul that he "clearly remembers" seeing Kaoru Kimura in North Korea.

Kimura is classified as a missing person possibly linked to North Korean abductions, and was 21 at the time of her disappearance. The former diplomat recalled her "working as a sales clerk at a store in Pyongyang."

With negotiations between Tokyo and Pyongyang over the abductions issue stalled and the victims' families aging rapidly, support group representatives hope the new testimony can help break the impasse.

A Familiar Face in Pyongyang

Ri, an elite diplomat who served as a counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, defected to the South in 2023. In his 2025 book, he describes meeting a woman working as an agent for the Workers' Party of Korea while studying in Cuba, and later seeing her again at a high-end store in Pyongyang.

During the interview, Ri said a Japanese woman working as a sales clerk at the same store matched Kimura's photograph. He recalled meeting her twice around 1994–95 and described her as "sociable" who "smiled a lot."

*Kaoru Kimura, a possible abductee whose whereabouts remain unknown.*

The ex-diplomat stated that he had reviewed the photographs of more than 10 Japanese nationals, including those the government has specifically designated as possibly abducted by North Korea. However, Kimura was the only person with whom he was personally acquainted.

"For Kim Jong Un, this is an issue his father (Kim Jong Il) acknowledged, so resolving it should not be particularly difficult," Ri said, speaking on the abductions issue.

He added that if US–North Korea relations improve and international sanctions are lifted, "North Korea will likely move quite proactively [to resolve the abduction issue] in exchange for economic support from Japan."

Old Clues, New Urgency

Kimura, a native of Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture, went missing in 1960. In the past, there have been other reported sightings. Kim Hyon-hui, a former North Korean agent responsible for the 1987 Korean Air bombing, once testified that a Japanese woman who taught her Japanese in North Korea bore a strong resemblance to Kimura.

Kazuhiro Araki, head of the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea, said, "The lack of new information on the abduction issue has led to a decline in media coverage and public interest, creating a vicious cycle that has slowed government efforts."

He hopes "this new testimony will serve as a breakthrough in revitalizing negotiations."

Kim Yo Jong, director of the General Affairs Department of the Workers' Party, issued a statement via the Korean Central News Agency on March 23, saying that "if Japan's prime minister seeks to resolve a unilaterally defined issue that North Korea does not recognize, our country's leadership has no intention of meeting." (©KCNA/Kyodo)

As efforts to resolve the long-stalled abductions issue continue, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed her willingness to meet the North Korean leader during the Japan–US summit on March 19. President Donald Trump reportedly voiced support for efforts to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, Kim Yo Jong, sister of Kim Jong Un and a senior official of the Workers' Party of Korea, said in a statement on March 23 that Pyongyang would refuse talks if the abductions issue is made a precondition.