Former North Korean Diplomat Wins Seat in South's Legislature
2020-04-17
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1A former North Korean diplomat has won a seat in South Korea's National Assembly.
2Thae Yong Ho was a candidate in the South Korean parliamentary elections on Wednesday.
3He became the first North Korean to have fled the North and won an assembly seat.
4Tens of thousands of North Koreans live in South Korea.
5Thae was elected to represent voters in the mostly wealthy Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul.
6He was a former minister at the North Korean embassy in London.
7He defected and resettled in South Korea with his family in 2016.
8"Republic of Korea is my motherland," an emotional Thae said at his campaign office.
9"I thank you (Gangnam voters) for selecting me to become the first (defector) from North Korea to win a constituency ... I'll only uphold your order and work hard."
10Thae later bowed deeply and waved his hands, making his fingers in the shape of the letter V.
11 He started singing South Korea's national anthem with supporters as tears came to his eyes.
12Thae is a member of the country's main conservative opposition, the United Future Party.
13It has called for stronger action to deal with North Korea's nuclear activities and its record of human rights abuses.
14North Korea was not a major issue in the South Korean elections.
15Instead, many voters are concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus.
16The South's ruling, liberal Democratic Party espouses better relations with North Korea.
17The party took control of 180 of the 300 available seats, partly because of the government's reaction to the virus.
18Before the elections, Thae said he decided to compete for a seat in the National Assembly to help South Koreans understand the true nature of North Korea.
19He also said he wanted to map a better unification policy.
20He has said his election would give hope to suffering North Koreans.
21It is unusual for a member of the North's ruling elite to defect to South Korea.
22About 33,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea over the past 20 years.
23Most are rural people escaping poverty.
24Thae has said he decided to flee because he did not want his children to live "miserable" lives in North Korea.
25He said he was saddened after watching North Korean leader Kim Jong Un execute officials and seek development of nuclear weapons.
26North Korea has called Thae "human scum" and accused him of stealing government money and other crimes.
27I'm Jonathan Evans.
1A former North Korean diplomat has won a seat in South Korea's National Assembly. 2Thae Yong Ho was a candidate in the South Korean parliamentary elections on Wednesday. He became the first North Korean to have fled the North and won an assembly seat. Tens of thousands of North Koreans live in South Korea. 3Thae was elected to represent voters in the mostly wealthy Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul. He was a former minister at the North Korean embassy in London. He defected and resettled in South Korea with his family in 2016. 4"Republic of Korea is my motherland," an emotional Thae said at his campaign office. "I thank you (Gangnam voters) for selecting me to become the first (defector) from North Korea to win a constituency ... I'll only uphold your order and work hard." 5Thae later bowed deeply and waved his hands, making his fingers in the shape of the letter V. He started singing South Korea's national anthem with supporters as tears came to his eyes. 6Thae is a member of the country's main conservative opposition, the United Future Party. It has called for stronger action to deal with North Korea's nuclear activities and its record of human rights abuses. 7North Korea was not a major issue in the South Korean elections. Instead, many voters are concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus. The South's ruling, liberal Democratic Party espouses better relations with North Korea. The party took control of 180 of the 300 available seats, partly because of the government's reaction to the virus. 8Before the elections, Thae said he decided to compete for a seat in the National Assembly to help South Koreans understand the true nature of North Korea. He also said he wanted to map a better unification policy. He has said his election would give hope to suffering North Koreans. 9It is unusual for a member of the North's ruling elite to defect to South Korea. About 33,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea over the past 20 years. Most are rural people escaping poverty. 10Thae has said he decided to flee because he did not want his children to live "miserable" lives in North Korea. He said he was saddened after watching North Korean leader Kim Jong Un execute officials and seek development of nuclear weapons. 11North Korea has called Thae "human scum" and accused him of stealing government money and other crimes. 12I'm Jonathan Evans. 13Bill Gallo reported this story for VOANEWS. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 14________________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16defect -v. to leave a country, political party, or organization and go to one that is a competitor 17select - v. to choose 18uphold - v. to support or confirm 19bow - v. to bend over as a sign of respect 20anthem - n. a song officially accepted by a country to express national identity 21espouse - v. to express support for 22proportional - adj. having a number that is directly related to something else through some sort of method 23elite - n. the people who have the most wealth and highest positions in a society 24miserable - adj. terribly unhappy or sad 25scum - n. a worthless individual