“Thae has said the motives of his defection was his disdain toward the (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un regime, his longing for the democratic society of South Korea and concerns about his child and his own future,” Jeong added.

“We (the ministry) believe that Thae’s defection indicates that there is widespread belief among the North’s elite group that the Kim regime is hopeless and that its system has reached its limits. We also believe that links within the elite group are weakening,” he said.

The Unification Ministry stressed that continued pressure from economic sanctions against the North has led to the surge in North Koreans’ defections to the South. They were imposed in March after Pyongyang’s nuclear test and long-range rocket launch,

Jeong declined to elaborate further on details such as the specific date and route of defection, citing “diplomatic reasons.”

Earlier in the day, South Korean media reported that a high-profile diplomat in the UK had defected with his family to a “third country,” citing an unnamed source.

The ministry had refused to confirm the defection in the morning, but said at 7 p.m. that it decided to hold the media briefing as too many “unconfirmed” facts had been circulating.

There have been a series of recent defections by North Koreans, including the mass defection of some North Koreans working at a China-based restaurant earlier in the year and a colonel from the North Korean military last year. The solider had marked the highest-level military defection ever from the hermit kingdom.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)