North Korean deputy ambassador who fled to South Korea appears
For the first time after months of silence, former North Korean deputy ambassador to the UK Thae Yong Ho - currently in exile in South Korea - has spoken out about his escape.
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| Mr. Thae Yong Ho when he was working at the North Korean Embassy in the UK - Photo: AFP |
Mr. Thae Yong Ho is the highest-ranking diplomat of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.hideabroad. The incident angered the Pyongyang government at the time, who claimed that the man had fled to escape heinous charges in his home country.
On December 18, without appearing directly in front of journalists, Mr. Thae spoke with several members of the South Korean National Assembly Intelligence Committee behind closed doors, according to Reuters.
The former North Korean diplomat denied that he fled to South Korea out of fear of being charged, saying he knew the Pyongyang government would say so.
Thae confirmed that he fled from England to South Korea with his wife and two sons, and that he did not abandon one of his daughters in North Korea as some newspapers have reported. The former North Korean deputy ambassador said that after December 23, the South Korean intelligence agency would no longer protect him.
Yonhap news agency quoted lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo, who spoke directly with Mr. Thae, as saying that despite the dangers, Thae will soon appear publicly and is determined to pursue the cause of unification of the two Koreas.
In October, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se confirmed that the number of North Korean elites defecting to the country had increased significantly in 2016.
According to Congressman Lee, during the conversation, Mr. Thae mentioned this and emphasized that as long as the Seoul government ensures stable jobs for North Koreans who have fled, "there will be more people from the North escaping."
North Korea has yet to make any comments.
Former North Korean deputy ambassador Thae Yong Ho comes from a prestigious family with contributions to the country. His father was four-star general Thae Pyong Ryol, who fought alongside North Korean leader Kim Il Sung during the war against Japan. Mr. Thae's wife, Oh Hae Son, is the daughter of one of the senior leaders of the anti-Japanese guerrilla movement, Oh Baek Ryong. According to AFP, during his time working in London, most of Deputy Ambassador Thae's duties were to refute criticism of human rights issues in North Korea and other negative information about the country in the media. |
According to Tuoi Tre