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North Korea’s ‘government in exile’: who is the group dedicated to ‘restoring light to Pyongyang’?
- Little is known about CCD and it is unclear who is behind the organisation – although some have speculated it has links to South Korea’s spy agency
- The group emerged in 2017 when it said it had guaranteed the safety of Kim Han-sol, the son of Kim Jong-nam, who was murdered
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A shadowy group believed to be protecting the son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s assassinated brother declared the formation of a government-in-exile on Friday, dedicating itself to the abolition of the “great evil”.
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The Cheollima Civil Defence (CCD) organisation – which offers to assist people attempting to defect from North Korea – emerged in 2017 when it posted an online video of Kim Han-sol, saying it had guaranteed his safety after his father was killed by two women who smeared him with nerve agent.
In a lengthy statement posted on its website in both Korean and English on Friday – the 100th anniversary of a Korean movement against Japanese colonial rule – the group announced itself as a provisional government for the North called “Free Joseon”. Joseon is an old name for Korea.
“We dedicate ourselves completely to the abolition of this great evil, a stain on the very soul of humanity,” it said in a statement, saying it will continue its campaign until “the day that light is truly restored to Pyongyang”.
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