The U.S. State Department said on Thursday that it comes as "no surprise" that there are people in North Korea who want to leave the oppression of the regime for basic human rights. 

Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks during a press briefing when asked about a former senior North Korean diplomat for Cuba who had recently defected to South Korea. 
 
Patel said that it should be no surprise that there are people in North Korea who want desperately to be somewhere where their basic human rights are protected.

Earlier this week, Seoul's National Intelligence Service confirmed that Counselor Ri Il-gyu, who was responsible for political affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, defected to South Korea with his wife and children in November last year.