Free Republic

Seoul (CNN)A senior North Korean diplomat, along with his wife and children, has defected and reached safety in South Korea, making it the highest-level diplomatic defection from the Pyongyang regime in history. Thae Yong Ho, the deputy ambassador of the North Korean embassy in the UK, is under government protection, Jeong Joo-hee, a spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry, told reporters Wednesday.

Kim Jong-un’s succession to the throne (is there another more proper term for it?) of North Korea has not been greeted with universal acclaim in that country.  After executing his own uncle and conducting sweeping purges intended to solidify his control, it appears that his hold on power remains uncertain.  Now, with a very high-ranking defector reported to have fled to South Korea and numerous lower-ranking defectors fearing purges also jumping ship, the world’s only three-generation hereditary communist dynasty may be seeing its last days. Fox News reports: A high-ranking officer from North Korea's military intelligence agency fled to...