TOKYO (AP) – The defection of a North Korean senior diplomat in London poses a major problem for Pyongyang on a number of fronts – not least of which is how to publicly respond.
As of Thursday, Pyongyang hadn’t made a public statement about the defection. But when – or if – it does, its response will likely be ferocious and accusatory.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry announced Wednesday that Thae Yong Ho, minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, has arrived in South Korea with his family and is under the protection of the South Korean government. Thae was the second-highest official in North Korea’s embassy and is the most senior North Korean diplomat to defect to the South.
Seoul, which doesn’t always divulge defections, was quick to seize on this one as evidence of growing dissent within the North’s ruling elite.
Its Unification Ministry claimed Thae defected because of his disgust with the Kim Jong Un regime and worries about the future of his children. A spokesman for the ministry further said that the defection is a sign of weakening unity within the North’s ruling class.