Former North Korean diplomat turned defector, Thae Yong-ho is calling for the US to increase its efforts to fight the information war within North Korea:
Thae Yong-ho speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Oct. 31, 2017. (Yonhap)
The North Korean leader does not have a full grasp of the strength and might of U.S. military power, Thae said, leading him to believe that if he can get Washington to accept Pyongyang’s possession of ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S., all sanctions against his regime will be lifted.
The former diplomat is in Washington at a time of heightened tension over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile testing. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to travel to Asia on Friday in part to rally further support behind his administration’s sanctions and pressure campaign.
But Thae appeared to question the U.S. policy.
“We can educate the North Korean population to stand up by disseminating outside information,” he said. “However, is the United States really doing enough in this regard? The U.S. is spending billions of dollars to cope with the military threat. Yet how much does the U.S. spend each year on information activities involving North Korea in a year? Unfortunately, it may be a tiny fraction.” [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but this is something I have been saying for years is that fighting the information campaign inside of North Korea should be aggressively pursued. Something else Thae discussed was the world coming together against the Kim regime like it did to end Apartheid in South Africa. This is another viewpoint I have advocated for is that why is North Korea welcomed at international venues like the Olympics when Apartheid South Africa was shunned? Apartheid South Africa had no where near the human rights abuses or was a threat to world peace as the Kim regime currently is.
Over at One Free Korea he has videos of Thae’s speech available which should be required viewing for those interested in this topic. OFK also has some great analysis I recommend everyone read as well.
