North Korean outlet slams ruling party over defector winning top spot

Rep. Tae Yong-ho appears emotional as his election as the ruling People Power Party’s supreme council member is announced on March 8. (Yonhap)

North Korean propaganda outlet Tongil Voice on Sunday blasted South Korea’s ruling People Power Party over an elite defector-lawmaker being elected to a top leadership position in the party earlier this month.

“The People Power Party appointed a runaway piece of trash to an important position as the frontman for anti-(North Korean)regime propaganda,” the North Korean outlet said in a statement.

“Runaways to South Korea are trash who gave up on being humans. They betrayed their country and their hometown. They are beasts in human form," it continued.

The statement said, "The (South Korean) conservative party is promoting such folks, who keep on vilifying us,” while, “The opposition party is decrying the appointment of a criminal from North Korea by the People Power Party.”

“Even South Korea’s opposition is ridiculing Yoon Suk Yeol for going along with the People Power Party’s parading of such human trash,” it said.

Although the statement did not name the “runaway,” the only defector-turned-lawmaker to be elected to the People Power Party's supreme council -- the party’s top decision-making body -- is Rep. Tae Yong-ho.

Tae, who was North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the UK before defecting to Seoul in 2017, said in response on Monday the open denunciation was not the first he’s experienced.

“Three years ago when I was elected into the South Korea’s National Assembly, North Korea was busy criticizing my every move,” he said.

“My election as a member of the ruling party’s supreme council probably gave North Korea’s elite a lot to think about. It showed that South Korea is a land of opportunity that is open to anyone who is willing to make the effort,” Tae said.

By Kim Arin(arin@heraldcorp.com)