North Korea's state-run media that caters to its domestic audience has remained silent on the defection of a senior diplomat, Pyongyang watchers here said Sunday.

Newspapers, TV and radio stations in North Korea did not mention Thae Yong-ho whatsoever, even though the Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang's official news wire, blasted Seoul for using the diplomat to fuel anti-DPRK propaganda and create dangerous friction between the two Koreas.

The KCNA generally focuses on broadcasting Pyongyang's messages abroad and is not accessible to ordinary North Koreans.

Observers said that even after Seoul acknowledged the defection of Thae and his entire family last week following media reports, Chosun Central TV and the Rodong Sinmun, the country's main paper and organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, did not cover the incident at all.

"Internal news outlets covered 'regular stories,' which seems to be an intentional move by authorities to withhold the defection from the general population," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University.

He speculated that Pyongyang clearly does not want the people to know that the No. 2 diplomat to its embassy in London had defected to South Korea.

"By attacking Thae and Seoul through the KCNA it is expressing its views without running the risk of ordinary people knowing about the desertion," he said.

The North has claimed Saturday that Thae is a criminal and attacked Seoul for using him to spread lies about the North. It also attacked London for not handing the criminal over to North Korea despite strong protests being lodged.

Related to the defection that probably took place last month, a British newspaper over the weekend said that Thae contacted British intelligence two months ago and that he made his escape with the help of the United States.

The Sunday Express said Thae and his family got on a British military jet and were flown to Germany before heading to South Korea. It added that while the diplomat was given "carte blanche" to choose where he wanted to go to, he opted for South Korea. (Yonhap)