Bold move: A sales assistant watches TV sets broadcasting a news report on Thae who has defected with his family to South Korea. — Reuters
THE defection of Thae Yong-ho, a high-ranking North Korean diplomat based in London, is the latest in the recent string of defections by the North’s elite. As the South Korean authorities confirmed, he and his family are now under protection in Seoul.
Thae and his wife are reportedly both descendants of guerillas who fought against Japanese colonialists in the 1930s, which would make them members of highly-privileged families. His family ties had allowed him to work in overseas missions for 10 years, instead of the conventional three. According to Seoul’s Unification Ministry, Thae’s reason for defection was mainly his disdain toward Kim’s regime and concerns for his family’s future.
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