What’s it like to grow up in North Korea? Weird, beyond belief (and usually awful). Do they know it? Generally, no. What’s it like to be a North Korean diplomat? Well, you see things and hear things that other North Koreans don’t. And this can rattle your mind. What’s it like to defect from North Korea? Terrifying — and it puts you in the crosshairs of professional killers. It puts your family in those same crosshairs.
This has been the experience of Thae Yong-ho, who served as a diplomat in Europe and defected to South Korea in 2016. He has the ability to relate his stunning experiences, in very good English. He is my guest on Q&A, here. We talk about his upbringing, his career, and his decision to defect. We talk about the two Koreas. And the curious relationship between his old boss, Kim Jong-un, and the current American president.
To meet Thae Yong-ho is to meet someone very, very rare.