A high level diplomat defected from North Korea to South Korea. He shares why he became disillusioned with the regime and how that lead to his defection. Vasilis Chronopoulos

SEOUL — The diplomat’s decision to defect from a regime he had spent his whole life defending did not happen overnight.

Instead, his misgivings had been simmering for two decades, even as he went around Europe espousing the superiority of the North Korean system. They finally reached a boiling point when Thae Yong-ho realized that this regime, to which he had been so loyal, expected him to lie to his children.

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