thae yong ho

Subscribe to Breaking News Alerts

North Korean Defector: Information Flow Will Help Bring Down Kim Jong Un

Former North Korean deputy ambassador to London Thae Yong Ho speaks during a briefing on Wednesday in Seoul. NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Parallels

North Korean Defector: Information Flow Will Help Bring Down Kim Jong Un

January 26, 2017 • After defecting, the ex-diplomat told his sons: "You can go to the Internet, you can do Internet games whenever you like, you can read any books, watch any films." In North Korea, this was impossible.

North Korean Defector: Information Flow Will Help Bring Down Kim Jong Un

Listen · 3:37 3:37

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/511745886/511851779" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

What Does It Mean When A North Korean Diplomat Defects?

South Koreans watch TV news showing a file image of Thae Yong Ho, a minister at the North Korean Embassy in London who recently defected to South Korea. Ahn Young-joon/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Ahn Young-joon/AP

Parallels

What Does It Mean When A North Korean Diplomat Defects?

August 28, 2016 • Defections appear to be on the rise, but it's difficult to tell what that means about relations between North and South — or the stability of Kim Jong Un's regime.

Senior North Korean Diplomat Reportedly Defects To South Korea

South Korea's Unification Ministry said Wednesday that one of North Korea's senior diplomats, London-based Thae Yong Ho, has defected. Ahn Young-joon/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Ahn Young-joon/AP

The Two-Way

Senior North Korean Diplomat Reportedly Defects To South Korea

August 17, 2016 • Thae Yong Ho, the No. 2 diplomat at North Korea's embassy in London, recently arrived in South Korea, according to officials in Seoul. He is said to be among the highest-ranking officials to defect.