North Korean diplomat defects to South

A senior North Korean diplomat based in London has defected to South Korea, becoming one of the highest level officials to do so, South Korea has said. 

Thae Yong Ho, minister at the North Korean embassy in London, has arrived in South Korea with his family, Seoul’s unification ministry said.

Mr Thae told South Korean officials that he decided to defect because of his disgust with the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his yearning for South Korean democracy and worries about the future of his children, said ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee.