By Trendsetter Tribune 
The U.S. operation that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro this month has reportedly left Kim Jong Un uneasy about his own security.
Former North Korean diplomat Lee Il-kyu, who served in Cuba until 2023 before defecting to South Korea, told AFP that Kim may now see a “decapitation” strike as a real threat. Lee said North Korea’s leadership is likely reassessing its security and countermeasures after witnessing Maduro’s ouster.
Lee himself survived a dramatic escape. Trapped at a Central American airport, he and his family were nearly sent back to North Korea — a move that would have meant death. They were saved when South Korean diplomats intervened, bringing them under protection.
Now, Lee is urging Seoul to help North Korean POWs captured in Ukraine, warning that sending them back would be a death sentence. He also notes that the North cannot imagine a leader being removed by outside forces or the will of the people — a stark contrast to South Korea, where government continuity remained intact even after an impeachment.
Lee’s experiences, he says, have deepened his appreciation for democracy and human rights, and he’s become an outspoken critic of the North Korean regime, publishing memoirs and regular columns on life inside the secretive state.