Man who claims to have met Kim Jong Un seven times reveals chilling rules for meeting North Korean leader
A man who claims to have met Kim Jong Un on seven different occasions has revealed the bizarre lengths people must go through in order to get a face to face appointment with the North Korean dictator.
Lee Il-gyu worked as a senior North Korean diplomat since 1999, working his way up the ranks until he became a deputy director responsible for political affairs at the North Korean embassy in Cuba.
In November 2023, he made the decision to defect from North Korea with his wife and children, after growing frustrated over the North Korean regime, unfair treatment at work and the authorities' refusal to approve medical treatment abroad.
Since then, Il-gyu has shared important insight about life inside the hermit kingdom, including the times he came face to face with Jong Un.
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The ex-diplomat recently revealed what it was like meeting the dictator for the first time, as part of a collaborative video for Dimple Video and The NK Guys on YouTube.
"The first time was at the airport. In the VIP waiting room, my whole body was tight with nerves. The first thing I said, I could hear my own voice shaking as I spoke," he explained in the video, which has been translated into English, as per the Express.
"But it only lasted a moment. If I'd stayed that tense, I couldn't have done my job properly. And failing at that job carries serious consequences, so I pulled myself together fast. Anyway, at first, I was extremely nervous."
While Il-gyu admitted meeting Jong Un wasn't quite like 'meeting a God', as it is so often described within North Korea, he did say it 'didn't feel like ordinary contact, between two people either.
Perhaps what is most shocking, is what people must go though in order to meet the North Korean leader, as Il-gyu claims anyone granted a sit down with Jong Un must undergo a month of specialist training first.
"The most basic ones cover speech and conduct. So don't fidget, don't sway, no unnecessary movements. And don't look Kim Jong Un directly in the face for any length of time. And if he turns and comes your way, step aside politely," he explained.
"Don't scramble or panic. Move aside politely and carry yourself with composure. And as for speaking, before Kim Jong Un asks you a question, you must never speak to him on your own initiative or volunteer any show of excitement. Absolutely not."
Il-gyu added: "You answer only when he asks, and that answer can't be like the way I'm talking now, rambling on with unnecessary detail. Short, concise, and as accurate as possible. Above all, never pretend to know something you don't. Everything around him is recorded."
He says the North Korean regime excuses the need to record every interaction as 'compiling the chronicle of revolutionary history', with secretaries following Jong Un at every turn.
Anyone meeting with the dictator is also banned from flattery, or even 'forcing a fake smile'.
Topics: North Korea, Kim Jong-un
Emma Rosemurgey