Ranking N. Korean diplomat defects to S. Korea: Seoul

SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- A high-ranking North Korean diplomat stationed in Britain defected to South Korea, Seoul's unification ministry said Wednesday, in the latest in a series of high-profile defections by the North's elite. Thae Yong-ho, a minister at the North's embassy in London, has arrived in South Korea with his family, the Ministry of Unification said, without unveiling further details. "They are now under the Seoul government's protection," Jeong Joon-hee, ministry spokesman, said at a hastily arranged press conference. Thae, previously known to have sought asylum in a third country, is among the highest ranking North Korean diplomats who have defected to Seoul, the ministry said. As a minister he was the No. 2 man at the embassy. His defection also comes in the wake of other high-profile escapes by members of the North Korean elite after the U.N. Security Council slapped tougher sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch the following month. Jeong said that Thae is believed to have defected to Seoul due to his disillusionment with the North's regime under Kim Jong-un and aspiration for freedom. "This case shows that North Korean elites view that there is no hope in their country," the spokesman said. "It also indicates that North Korea's regime's internal solidarity is weakening." sooyeon@yna.co.kr (END)