Kim Hong-Ji | Reuters
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence looks toward the north from an observation post inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, April 17, 2017.
“Only drivers are allowed to operate vehicles and go to Panmunjom through the demilitarized zone,” a former North Korean police officer told the Chosun Ilbo, referring to a North Korean facility in the zone.
“It looks like he was a driver for a representative of the Panmunjom delegation, a chief of staff, or a state security chief.”
Footage of the defector’s bold escape is expected to be revealed later on Thursday, according to the Chosun Ilbo.
Ri Jong Ho, a former senior North Korean economic official who defected in 2014, recently described the dire economic conditions presently gripping his home country, stating that he wasn’t sure whether the rogue nation could survive another year under sanctions.
