North Korean Officials Consider Defecting, Some Delay Leaving China

With the North Korean government in a moment of transition following the death of “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il it appears that many of the countries elite officials are considering defecting from the country during it’s moment of mourning.

Speaking to the Korea Times Do Hee-yun, secretary general of a group that works with North Korean refugees revealed:

“Many ranking North Korean officials in China are refusing to return after being summoned to North Korea.”

News of possible defections began to circulate after Pyongyang began calling senior officials back to the country during their recent China trip. According to the reports the leaders were called back before news of Kim Jong Il’s death was circulated around the country.

Do reports that many of the leaders have used stalling tactics to avoid a return to their homeland, claiming that they are still waiting to collect much needed payments for the country among various other excuses.

It’s believed that the leaders realize the countries reluctance to take strong action during the mourning period, which in turn has given them time to weigh their options.

The biggest reason for not wanting to return according to Seoul’s Sejong Institute is the fact that the new leadership may decided to purge certain top ranking officials who worked for years under Kim Jong Il.

At this time news of the defections has not been confirmed by South Korean officials who would be most likely to receive the political refugees should they choose to leave their country.

Do you think various defections within the North Korean party can cause enough fractions within their political system to bring down the closely guarded North Korean regime?