A top North Korean diplomat who disappeared from the country’s embassy in London has defected to South Korea, officials in Seoul have confirmed. Thae Yong-ho and his family are under the government’s protection, a South Korean official said. Mr Thae was the ambassador’s deputy and is thought to be the highest-ranking North Korean official ever to defect. His main mission in London had been to spread positive perceptions of the North Korean leadership. He had been due to return to Pyongyang with his wife and children. Mr Thae had come under pressure from his government to quash growing criticism of North Korea’s human rights record, sources say.
