Human scum.
That is what the North Korean government Tuesday called a high-ranking diplomat who defected from its London embassy recently.
Last week, after it was revealed that the North Korean Embassy in the United Kingdom’s deputy chief of mission, Thae Yong Ho, had defected from his post and sought political asylum in Seoul earlier this summer, Pyongyang demanded that London return the traitor to its government, and then, having had no success with its first tactic, decided to defame the former diplomat.
And just like that, Thae, who had previously been a respected foreign service officer, was now suddenly a “child molester” and “human scum.”
Yes, this one-time valued North Korean official had instantly become a national criminal, charged with a series of wrongdoings, from embezzling government funds and leaking state secrets to sexually assaulting a minor.
And all because he dared to opt for a life away from the oppressive authoritarianism of Kim Jong-un.
Thae is the most senior North Korean diplomatic official to ever defect from North Korea, and the most recent in a number of high-profile defectors.
This new wave of defections has prompted speculation that Pyongyang is growing more unstable.
But in the hermit fiefdom of North Korea, it is hard to predict what is happening or going to happen.
And while he may displace erratic behavior, Kim shows no signs of being ready to step down voluntarily from his post as North Korea’s supreme leader.
So, again, the speculation as to the instability of his regime is just that, speculation.
What is relevant and worth taking note of is the fact that Pyongyang seems to feel obliged to discredit Thae with a spiel of immature name-calling, rather than simply ignoring the defection and moving on to other issues.
(Thae, being more circumscription in his declarations, said only that he and his family had defected to South Korea because he was “tired of Kim Jong-un’s regime.”)
What is apparent from Pyongyang’s offensive response to Thae’s defection is that Kim is getting nervous.
And well he should be.
There is seething discontent brewing in North Korea, and defections of all kinds are up.
Just this year, several North Korean diplomats in China jumped ship, a Korean Workers’ Party official bolted in Russia and a teenage math prodigy from an elite family sought asylum at the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong after participating in the International Mathematics Olympiad.
According to South Korean figures, the total number of defectors from North Korea increased 15 percent in the first six months of this year compared with 2015.
In the past, Kim has kept his fellow North Koreans in check through the use of propaganda, intimidation and brute force
But the uptick in defections may suggest that his ironclad grip on his people is slipping.
Kim is lashing out at North Korean officials who have defected, but he might better be looking inward at those who have stayed and are closest to him.
If there is so much discontent among his political elite, Kim may soon find there is a Brutus in his midst who is ready to raise the dagger against this totalitarian Caesar for the sake of the nation.
Thérèse Margolis can be reached at therese.margolis@gmail.com.