Interview: How the wife of a North Korean diplomat convinced him to defect



Interviews Interview: How the wife of a North Korean diplomat convinced him to defect Oh Hye-son, spouse of defector-lawmaker Tae Yong-ho, shares her life story for the first time in a new memoir Ifang Bremer January 25, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A section of the book cover for "A Pyongyang Woman from London” (런던에서 온 평양 여자) \| Image: The Miracle / 더미라클 Tae Yong-ho, a diplomat at the North Korean Embassy in London, made global headlines when he defected in 2016, becoming one of the highest-level officials to do so. He is now a member of South Korea’s National Assembly and arguably the most famous defector in the country. By contrast, Tae’s wife Oh Hye-son has kept a much lower profile since they defected with their two sons, largely avoiding the public eye as her husband published a bestseller about DPRK politics and ran for office. Tae Yong-ho, a diplomat at the North Korean Embassy in London, made global headlines when he defected in 2016, becoming one of the highest-level officials to do so. He is now a member of South Korea’s National Assembly and arguably the most famous defector in the country. By contrast, Tae’s wife Oh Hye-son has kept a much lower profile since they defected with their two sons, largely avoiding the public eye as her husband published a bestseller about DPRK politics and ran for office. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Interviews

Interview: How the wife of a North Korean diplomat convinced him to defect

Oh Hye-son, spouse of defector-lawmaker Tae Yong-ho, shares her life story for the first time in a new memoir

Ifang Bremer January 25, 2023

Interview: How the wife of a North Korean diplomat convinced him to defect

A section of the book cover for "A Pyongyang Woman from London” (런던에서 온 평양 여자) | Image: The Miracle / 더미라클

Tae Yong-ho, a diplomat at the North Korean Embassy in London, made global headlines when he defected in 2016, becoming one of the highest-level officials to do so. He is now a member of South Korea’s National Assembly and arguably the most famous defector in the country.

By contrast, Tae’s wife Oh Hye-son has kept a much lower profile since they defected with their two sons, largely avoiding the public eye as her husband published a bestseller about DPRK politics and ran for office.

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