Gangnam smile: Former North Korean diplomat wins parliamentary seat in South Korea’s swankiest district, four years after fleeing a London embassy and defecting to the South by HeeShin
SEOUL - A former North Korean diplomat has won a parliamentary seat in South Korea’s swankiest district, four years after fleeing a London embassy and defecting to the South.
Thae, 55, won one of three constituencies in Seoul’s glittering Gangnam district for the main opposition conservative party in Wednesday’s parliamentary election, beating a former four-term ruling party lawmaker by nearly a 20% margin. Gangnam, a wealthy, conservative district known for its boutiques, high-end bars and luxury homes, shot to international renown through musician Psy’s 2012 K-pop hit “Gangnam Style”.
Defector groups have complained that Moon’s administration cut funding, ignored human rights and suppressed anti-Pyongyang activism in favour of pursuing reconciliation with the Kim regime. Thae has said he made the money giving lectures and writing books and papers, and paid more than 100 million won in taxes every year.
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