Thae Yong-Ho is a North Korean defector and the former deputy ambassador of North Korea to the United Kingdom. He is known as the highest-ranking official to have ever defected from North Korea, fleeing to the South with his wife and two children in 2016. As a high-ranking career diplomat, Thae belonged to North Korea’s elite class and had access to information that few North Koreans ever see and became disenchanted with the regime. He now firmly believes that the dissemination of outside information is the key to helping ordinary citizens rebel against the dictatorship. Thae’s leadership and defection has been praised in South Korea and internationally as a sign of growing disillusionment with Kim Jong-un. Now affiliated with the South’s think tank, Institute for National Security Strategy, Thae is committed to using his position to topple the North Korean government.