[Editorial] Elite N.K. defectors

A growing number of affluent North Koreans are defecting, suggesting the country’s elite are increasingly shaken up by the tightening global sanctions imposed on it.

Most recently, a North Korean teenage mathematics genius sought refuge at the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong. The defector was a member of a North Korean delegation to the annual International Mathematical Olympiad, which was held in Hong Kong from July 6 to 16.

The 18-year-old student is reportedly part of the privileged class of the North Korean Worker’s Party. His defection draws attention as it suggests the growing alienation of the North Korean elite from the Kim Jong-un regime, which is isolated from the world due to its nuclear ambitions.

It has also been reported that a general-level North Korean military officer who had managed the North’s young leader Kim Jong-un’s political funds at the General Political Bureau of the People’s Army has defected, along with three other high-ranking officials, including diplomats.

The North Korean military is the core group that buttresses the Pyongyang regime. So if the report is true, it suggests that the regime’s foundation is being shaken.

Last year, a North Korean Army colonel, who was a former member of the General Reconnaissance Bureau, defected to the South. He was the highest-level military official ever to abandon Pyongyang.

The General Reconnaissance Bureau is an organization responsible for clandestine operations, including espionage activities, against the South.

Earlier this year, 13 female staffers at a North Korean restaurant in China defected to the South. Their defection came after the United Nations imposed the toughest-ever sanctions on the North for its nuclear test and missile launch.

These and other cases suggest that North Korea’s elite are increasingly trying to escape the country as they feel there is no hope not just for them but for their children under the current regime.

The Pyongyang government may tighten oversight of North Korean society to stem the growing flow of defectors. It may also attempt to commit a military provocation against the South as it would need a pretext for increased internal control.

North Korea recently resumed its encrypted numbers broadcast, a method used in the past to send orders to spies in the South. It also has recently sent a large amount of propaganda leaflets to the South.

These activities are intended to heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The South needs to raise its guard and be prepared against possible military provocations.