Thae Yong-ho who was once a high-ranking North Korean diplomat but defected to South Korea and became a member of the National Assembly and a lawmaker in a Supreme Council, gave an explosive interview to Radio Free Asia.
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According to the politician, Kim Jong-un’s power in the country is not as absolute as it seems.
Here is why he believes that Kim Jong-un's daughter Kim Ju Ae, who is only 10 years old now, will never rule North Korea.
Who is Thae Yong-ho and why is his interview important?
South Korean lawmaker Thae Yong-ho was once a high-ranking North Korean diplomat. In 2016, while he was Pyongyang’s deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, he defected with his family to the South Korea.
Less than four years after his family arrived in Seoul, Thae Yong-ho won a local election and became a member of the National Assembly representing the city’s wealthy Gangnam district.
As a member of the assembly, Thae Yong-ho has served on the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, drawing on his unique expertise in North Korea to help form South Korean policy.
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On 8 March, South Korea’s ruling People Power Party elected him to its supreme council, making him the first defector to enter into a South Korean political party’s leadership.
Radio Free Asia interviewed the lawmaker, and his prognosis shone the light on the real political situation in North Korea and its power struggles. It turned out, Kim Jong-un's power is not as unshakeable as he wants it to look.
‘The North Korean regime will never make it to the fourth generation’
According to Thae Yong-ho, the military and government leadership in North Korea are not stable from year to year. They are constantly changing players which leads to lack of consensus or solidarity between Kim Jong Un and those surrounding him and contributes to the distrust.
He said:
I think the North Korean regime will never make it to the fourth generation with Kim Ju Ae. Since Kim Jong Un came to power, the North Korean regime has gone too far in a very unstable and abnormal direction over the past decade.
The politician believes that young people who are growing up in North Korea have no loyalty to the North Korean system.
He explained:
They only value reality, and dream of a more open and prosperous country. When they grow up and become the backbone of North Korea in their 40s and 50s, I believe that Kim Jong Un’s system will inevitably collapse.
Thae Yong-ho also doubted that Kim Jong Un will actually pass his position on to his daughter and not a son but reiterated that the North Korean dictator is building this image of a power succession over four generations whenever he can.
If the leader was to become sick, his sister Kim Yo-jong would have no choice but to emerge as a temporary replacement.
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Sources used:
- Radio Free Asia: 'Interview: ‘South Korea must temporarily acquire nuclear weapons’'
- Daily Mail: 'Kim Jong Un's daughter will NEVER rule North Korea because he is losing his grip on power and even his inner circle no longer trust him, says defector'