The former North Korean Deputy Ambassador to London Thae Yong-ho has said that more high-level North Korean diplomats are waiting to defect to South Korea from their overseas posts in Europe.
"A significant number of North Korean diplomats came to South Korea recently," said Thae, who defected to South Korea in August 2016 becoming the highest ranking diplomat ever to do so.
"I am not the only one from Europe. There are more waiting to come," Thae said, speaking at an event held in South Korea's parliamentary building.
He also argued that Seoul must stay on its pressure track against the Pyongyang regime, saying over 80 percent of any food aid to North Korea is diverted to solidifying the regime.
He was responsible for promoting the image of Pyongyang among the public in Britain, where he lived for 10 years. It has been reported that his decision to defect was mainly because he was under increasing pressure to tell people that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was being misreported in the media.
Thae, 54, has said publicly that dissatisfaction with the rule of young leader Kim Jong Un had led him to flee his post, but he also had two university-age sons living with him and his wife in London who were due to return to isolated North Korea.
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