If confirmed, it would mark the latest in a recent series of high-profile North Korean defections that some observers see as a sign of growing instability within the leadership in Pyongyang. In a separate report, the South Korean daily, JoongAng Ilbo, said two senior staffers at the North Korean embassy in Beijing had asked for asylum in Japan. The newspaper cited an anonymous source as saying the two officials were not diplomats, but attached to a North Korean government office. South Korea to continue questioning North Korean 'defectors' Read moreIn a speech last Saturday to mark Armed Forces Day, South Korean president Park Geun-Hye made a direct appeal to more North Koreans to abandon their country. “There have been persistent defections, even by North Korean elites who have been supporting the regime”, Park said.

Source: The Guardian October 05, 2016 04:30 UTC