North Korean defector says Park Geun-hye scandal could help Pyongyang

Probe into influence of South Korean president’s confidante Choi Soon-sil will stoke anti-South sentiment, and could provide a welcome distraction for Kim Jong-un

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Hyeonseo Lee said she was ‘very sad and disappointed about the situation’ in South Korea. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 8:14pm, 10 Nov 2016Updated: 5:21pm, 11 Nov 2016

South Korea’s political crisis and the nation’s worsening ties with China will only help the North Korean regime, said North Korean defector and activist Hyeonseo Lee.

The country is in political turmoil following recent revelations that President Park Geun-hye has been taking secret advice from Choi Soon-sil, a confidante with no policy background and who holds no public office. Tens of thousands of South Koreans protested in Seoul last weekend to demand the resignation of Park, who is facing a corruption investigation into whether Choi manipulated state decisions.

Tens of thousands protested in Seoul last weekend, demanding Park’s resignation. Photo: Kyodo

North Korean media is playing up the scandal, said Lee, who said it was the “perfect chance” for the regime to further stoke anti-South Korean sentiment.

In 1997, aged 17, Lee crossed the frozen Yalu River into China on what was meant to be a short trip. She ended up staying in the country, hiding her identity for a decade before escaping in 2008 to South Korea, which gave her asylum.

“I’m very sad and disappointed about the situation we have right now in South Korea. But it happened, and we have to cope with it,” said Lee, before a talk at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival promoting her memoir The Girl with Seven Names. “Who is the most happy in this situation? Of course, it’s the North Korean regime.”

South Korea decided to deploy the THAAD weapons system on its own soil. Photo: Reuters

Tension between South Korea and China has been exacerbated by South Korea’s recent decision to put an advanced United States missile defence system called THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence) on its soil. And last week Beijing responded sternly to reports that South Korean coastguards fired machine guns for the first time against Chinese boats illegally fishing in Korean waters, AFP reported.