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| North Korea official who supplies medicine to Kim Jong-un defects – reports North Korea official who supplies medicine to Kim Jong-un defects – reports | |
| (2 months later) | |
| A ranking North Korean embassy official in Beijing has defected, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency has said, while a separate report suggested two embassy staff had sought asylum with the Japanese mission in the Chinese capital. | A ranking North Korean embassy official in Beijing has defected, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency has said, while a separate report suggested two embassy staff had sought asylum with the Japanese mission in the Chinese capital. |
| If confirmed, it would mark the latest in a recent series of high-profile North Korean defections that some observers see as a sign of growing instability within the leadership in Pyongyang. | If confirmed, it would mark the latest in a recent series of high-profile North Korean defections that some observers see as a sign of growing instability within the leadership in Pyongyang. |
| Yonhap, quoting an anonymous source “familiar with Pyongyang affairs”, said the official – stationed in the Beijing embassy but attached to the North Korean health ministry – had disappeared with his family in late September. | Yonhap, quoting an anonymous source “familiar with Pyongyang affairs”, said the official – stationed in the Beijing embassy but attached to the North Korean health ministry – had disappeared with his family in late September. |
| The source said the official was responsible for sourcing medical supplies for a clinic in Pyongyang that caters to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and his family. | The source said the official was responsible for sourcing medical supplies for a clinic in Pyongyang that caters to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and his family. |
| South Korea’s unification ministry, which has a general policy of not commenting on defections, especially by senior officials, said it was unable to confirm the report. | South Korea’s unification ministry, which has a general policy of not commenting on defections, especially by senior officials, said it was unable to confirm the report. |
| In a separate report, the South Korean daily, JoongAng Ilbo, said two senior staffers at the North Korean embassy in Beijing had asked for asylum in Japan. | In a separate report, the South Korean daily, JoongAng Ilbo, said two senior staffers at the North Korean embassy in Beijing had asked for asylum in Japan. |
| The newspaper cited an anonymous source as saying the two officials were not diplomats, but attached to a North Korean government office. | The newspaper cited an anonymous source as saying the two officials were not diplomats, but attached to a North Korean government office. |
| Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga denied that any approach had been made to the Japanese mission. | Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga denied that any approach had been made to the Japanese mission. |
| “There’s no truth in the reports that North Korean asylum seekers contacted the Japanese embassy, and we’re not aware of any situation involving North Koreans hoping to defect to Japan,” Suga told a regular press conference. | “There’s no truth in the reports that North Korean asylum seekers contacted the Japanese embassy, and we’re not aware of any situation involving North Koreans hoping to defect to Japan,” Suga told a regular press conference. |
| The North has been rocked by a number of high-level defections, most recently that of its deputy ambassador to Britain who fled to the South in a major propaganda victory for Seoul. | The North has been rocked by a number of high-level defections, most recently that of its deputy ambassador to Britain who fled to the South in a major propaganda victory for Seoul. |
| In a speech last Saturday to mark Armed Forces Day, South Korean president Park Geun-Hye made a direct appeal to more North Koreans to abandon their country. | In a speech last Saturday to mark Armed Forces Day, South Korean president Park Geun-Hye made a direct appeal to more North Koreans to abandon their country. |
| “There have been persistent defections, even by North Korean elites who have been supporting the regime”, Park said. | “There have been persistent defections, even by North Korean elites who have been supporting the regime”, Park said. |
| “We will keep the road open for you to find hope and live a new life,” she added. | “We will keep the road open for you to find hope and live a new life,” she added. |
| North-South Korea ties are currently plumbing new lows, with Seoul holding to a hard line with Pyongyang in the wake of two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches this year. | North-South Korea ties are currently plumbing new lows, with Seoul holding to a hard line with Pyongyang in the wake of two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches this year. |