The South Korean government has confirmed reports of one of the most high profile defections from the authoritarian regime of neighbouring North Korea, Seoul-based news agency Yonhap reported on Wednesday.
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“Deputy Ambassador Thae has said that his reasons for defection are that he is sick and exhausted of the Kim Jong Un regime, that he longs for South Korea’s liberal democracy, and that he is concerned about his children and the future”, announced Jeong Joon-Hee. Given these circumstances, it would be more accurate to say that Thae is the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat whose defection to South Korea was made public.
The spokesperson added that the defection illustrated the “North’s core layer considers there is no hope for the Kim Jong Un regime anymore… the perception that the North Korean regime already reached breaking point has been spreading and internal unity among the ruling class has been weakened”.
His wife, Oh Sun Hae, is a relative of Oh Baek Ryong, who was close to North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.
He was credited with developing the North Korean ideology of “juche”, or “self-reliance”.
The North responded furiously to the South’s account of the flight of the restaurant workers, alleging repeatedly that the women 12 waitresses and their manager were tricked into thinking they were being transferred to work at another restaurant in Malaysia.
Thae has worked on United Kingdom and EU-related issues for over 10 years and his London post made him the second-highest ranked man in North’s diplomatic mission to Great Britain. Actually, Jong Sung-il defected and obtained asylum in the United States in 1997 while serving as the North Korean ambassador to Egypt. He also pointed out that Thae was seen escorting Kim Jong-chul – the older brother of North Korea’s supreme leader – when he attended an Eric Clapton concertat London’s Royal Albert Hall. “Korean-s-defection-complicated-by-her-love-hate-bonds-with-China” target=”_blank”>as The Christian Science Monitor reported in April, but the vast majority live a furtive existence out of fear that authorities could repatriate them if discovered.
File footage showing Thae Yong Ho speaking on a podium in London.
“Only death lies for aggressors and provokers”, North Korea said in the statement issued on KCNA.
Thae’s case presents a more hard conundrum for Pyongyang.
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Wednesday’s announcement came as North Korea is responding angrily to a USA plan to place an advanced missile defense system in South Korea.
