Top North Korean official defects over 'disgust' with Kim Jong Un

Officials in Seoul confirmed Wednesday that senior North Korean diplomat Thae Yong Ho has defected to South Korea. Thae, deputy minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, is believed to be "the highest-ranking North Korean official ever to defect," BBC reported.
Thae, who had been tasked with defending North Korean leadership's reputation, reportedly defected "because of his disgust with the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his yearning for South Korean democracy, and worries about the future of his children," The Associated Press reported.
The defection of someone as senior as Thae could indicate "growing internal skepticism about the strength of the Kim Jong Un regime," Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a lecturer at King's College London, told The Associated Press. Pardo also suggested Thae's defection could offer an inroad into North Korea for the U.S. and other countries. "The defection of a diplomat would allow intelligence services and military forces in other countries to learn more about the level of support that Kim Jong Un enjoys, recent developments in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, or the extent to which real economic reforms are being implemented," Pardo said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Thae and his family are under the South Korean government's protection.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Succession planning as the Dalai Lama turns 90
In the Spotlight China 'determined to shape the narrative' around choice of Tibet's next spiritual leader
-
AI is creating a luxury housing renaissance in San Francisco
Under the Radar Luxury homes in the city can range from $7 million to above $20 million
-
How carbon credits could help and hurt the climate
The explainer The credits could be allowing polluters to continue polluting
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders