Son of prominent North Korean defector under investigation for smoking pot in Thailand

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Son of prominent North Korean defector under investigation for smoking pot in Thailand

Published: 22 Nov. 2024, 18:49

MICHAEL LEE
[email protected]

Tae Yong-ho, the secretary general of South Korea's Peaceful Unification Advisory Committee, speaks to lawmakers on the parliamentary Foreign Relations and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 8. [YONHAP]

The eldest son of Tae Yong-ho, the secretary general of the South Korean presidential advisory committee on inter-Korean affairs, is under investigation for drug charges, police said Friday.

Tae served as North Korea’s deputy ambassador to Britain before defecting to South Korea with his wife and two sons in 2016. He later served a single term as a lawmaker with the conservative People Power Party from 2020 to 2023.

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According to the Seoul Gangnam Police Precinct, Tae’s 34-year-old son was taken into custody on Thursday for questioning after being accused of smoking marijuana while on a trip to Thailand in September.

South Korean nationals are forbidden under the country’s expansive anti-drug laws from consuming narcotics even while traveling or residing abroad.

He is also under investigation for fraud after allegedly failing to repay 1.6 billion won ($1.1 million) that he borrowed for cryptocurrency investments.

In his appearance before the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee in October, Tae apologized for the “concern” caused by his eldest son’s actions.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]