The Korea Herald

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Defector urges S. Korea to be predictable on N. Korea

By KH디지털2

Published : March 16, 2017 - 12:00

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Thae Yong-ho, a former Pyongyang diplomat who defected to Seoul last year, on Thursday urged South Korea to be "predictable" when it comes to inter-Korean issues.

"(The conservative and liberal parties) must reach consensus to let North Korea know that it will pay dearly for any provocations against South Korea," Thae said during a meeting with lawmakers.

"Only then will North Korea not roll out thoughtless policies against the South."

Thae Yong-ho, a former Pyongyang diplomat who defected to Seoul (Yonhap) Thae Yong-ho, a former Pyongyang diplomat who defected to Seoul (Yonhap)

Thae Yong-ho, who was Pyongyang's No. 2 diplomat in Britain, also said he was impressed about how South Koreans protect the value of the Constitution through street protests and the impeachment of the president, referring to the ouster of Park Geun-hye from presidential office last week.

The defector urged South Koreans to pay more attention to the human rights issues in the North in the spirit of the Constitution.

"As defined in the Constitution, North Koreans belong to South Korea," Thae said.

Thae said South Korea's political circle should approach the North Korean human rights issue in the context of protecting the Constitution. (Yonhap)