After North Korean Soldier Defects To South, Expert Says Kim Jong Un ‘Is Aware of Internal Discontent’: ‘Border Barriers Are Proof’

In a current incident that highlights rising inside discontent inside North Korea, a soldier has defected to South Korea, regardless of the elevated border safety measures applied by North Korean chief Kim Jong Un.

What Occurred: The soldier escaped by way of the closely fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), marking the primary defection by an active-duty soldier since 2019.

Regardless of Kim’s makes an attempt to stop defections by setting up new border partitions, rearming guard posts, and putting in extra land mines, North Koreans proceed to seek out methods to flee. This enhance in defections, particularly from North Korea’s protected courses, signifies that Kim is coping with inside discontent that might doubtlessly destabilize his regime, The Wall Road Journal reported on Wednesday.

The variety of “elite” defectors, together with diplomats and abroad college students, is at its highest in years, in keeping with South Korea’s Ministry of Unification. This navy defection undermines Kim’s portrayal of North Korea as a strong socialist paradise.

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Regardless of the cruel situations and dangers, North Koreans are selecting excessive escape routes, reminiscent of crossing the border or embarking on harmful sea voyages.

“The border obstacles are proof that the Kim regime is conscious of inside discontent and desires to dam defections,” stated Kang Dong-wan, a former director of a resettlement assist middle for North Korean defectors and at present a political science professor at South Korea’s Dong-A College. 

Earlier than the pandemic, over 1,000 North Koreans relocated to the South yearly. Nonetheless, this quantity has considerably dropped, with solely 105 defections within the first half of this yr, in keeping with Seoul authorities figures.

Why It Issues: The defection of a North Korean soldier to South Korea amid heightened cross-border tensions is a big growth. This incident adopted a defiant act by a bunch of North Korean defectors in Seoul who launched giant balloons full of Ok-pop and South Korean cultural content material throughout the border in retaliation for trash-filled balloons despatched by North Korea.

Just lately, Kim shifted blame for flood injury in North Korea to provincial officers, a transfer seen as an try to quell public discontent that might weaken his management.

Furthermore, within the face of accelerating nuclear threats from North Korea, South Korea’s Protection Minister nominee, Kim Yong-hyun, has expressed readiness to think about all doable measures towards these threats, emphasizing the significance of the alliance with the USA.

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Picture by way of Flickr/ Prachatai

This story was generated utilizing Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari