‘Agitated’ NKorean officials seeking asylum: reports

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

North Korea’s infamous devotion to its leader was being questioned by South Korean media reports Thursday, as high-ranking officials from the North are allegedly seeking to escape the authoritarian state.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper published an article claiming that “about 10 North Korean officials and workers have recently fled the country” in fear of young ruler Kim Jong-un, who succeeded the late Kim Jong-il following his death at the end of 2011.

One party member who reportedly managed 32-year-old Kim’s slush funds apparently made it to South Korea earlier this year via Hong Kong with his family.

Seoul’s intelligence agency previously revealed that around 70 top officials have been purged during a process of power consolidation in North Korea. A recent prominent victim was defense chief Hyun Yong-chol, who is thought to have been executed back in April.

The message that no North Korean official is untouchable was hammered home back in 2013, when Kim had his own uncle killed.

According to a United Nations Commission of Inquiry report last year, the North’s network of political prison camps extends to five facilities holding up to 120,000 inmates -- an accusation denied by Pyongyang.

North Korea’s capital has been described by defectors and foreign visitors as a safe haven for those loyal to the state.

A special honor reserved for the trusted few is the opportunity to represent the North abroad -- but South Korean news agency Yonhap carried a report Thursday supporting the claim that officials are opting out of the loyalty game.

One source was quoted as suggesting that working-level officials based in foreign countries have sought asylum because they feel “agitated” by Kim’s rule.

Every year North Koreans risk their lives attempting to reach the South or other countries, usually by first entering China.