Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho becomes first defector named to vice-ministerial position

Politics

Published: 17 Jul. 2024, 15:35 Updated: 17 Jul. 2024, 18:13

Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho becomes first defector named to vice-ministerial position

Thae Yong-ho, a former senior North Korean diplomat and ex-lawmaker in Seoul [KIM HYEON-DONG]

Thae Yong-ho, a former senior North Korean diplomat and ex-lawmaker in Seoul, was appointed secretary general of a presidential consultative body on unification.

This will mark the first time a North Korean defector has been appointed to a vice ministerial position in the South Korean government.

The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council is a presidential consultative body established to draft policies on democratic and peaceful unification. The secretary general, a vice ministerial role, oversees the council's affairs under the direction of the president, who serves as the chairman. This position has been vacant since January, when former Secretary General Seok Dong-hyeon resigned to run in the general elections.

Local media reports on Wednesday revealed that Thae recently underwent vetting by the Presidential Office for the position and is awaiting final approval from President Yoon Suk Yeol. The president is expected to announce vice ministerial appointments as early as Thursday.

Thae served as the North's deputy ambassador to Britain and fled to South Korea in 2016, becoming the highest-profile government official to defect from the totalitarian regime. He was elected to the 2020-24 National Assembly as a conservative People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker but lost his bid for a seat in the current parliamentary session.

Thae's appointment reflects Yoon's interest in North Korean defector issues.

The South Korean government designated July 14 as North Korean Defectors' Day and held its first commemorative event on Sunday. During the event, Yoon declared that "no North Korean compatriot who seeks refuge in South Korea will ever be sent back" and promised to "exert all diplomatic efforts" to prevent the forced repatriation of defectors overseas.

A senior official from the PPP said Thae's appointment would "serve as a significant incentive for high-ranking North Korean officials considering defection to South Korea" in a Dong-A Ilbo report.

The government believes there has been a significant increase in defections among North Korean elites this year.

Around 10 high-ranking North Korean defectors entered South Korea last year, the highest number since 2017, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.

The most recent confirmed case is Ri Il-gyu, a counselor at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, who defected with his family in November.

Ri, praised as a "veteran" diplomat on Latin American affairs who served two terms in Cuba, reportedly decided to defect due to conflicts with North's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A family of a North Korean diplomat stationed in France also defected at the end of last year, local media reported Wednesday.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]