Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean deputy ambassador to London, reacts during a news conference at the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, December 27, 2016. Picture taken on December 27, 2016. News1 via REUTERS
IBTimes: North Korea Defector Says US Nuclear Strike Would Trigger 'Automatic Retaliation'
A high ranking North Korean defector warned Wednesday that a first strike by the United States would trigger automatic retaliation by Kim Jong Un's regime. Thae Yong Ho, former deputy chief of mission at the North Korean Embassy in London, cautioned about the risk during a congressional hearing Wednesday.
“North Korean officers are trained to press their button without any further instructions from the general command if anything happens on their side,” Thae told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to the Associated Press. “We have to remember that tens of millions of South Korean population are living 70 to 80 kilometers away from the military demarcation line.”
Thae was the highest level defector to escape North Korea in twenty years when he fled to South Korea in 2016. He urged U.S. officials Wednesday to use “soft power” like sanctions instead of resorting to nuclear action.
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Update: Defector: US strike would trigger automatic NK retaliation (AP)
WNU Editor: This defector is also right about this .... North Korea defector says information more dangerous than US threats (CNN).
