A former North Korean operative gives his first interview since defecting in 2014

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/09/ [login to see] /north-korea-defector-spy-kim-jong-un-us-covid-nuclear-succession
Kim Jong Un's daughter may accompany her father to missile launches, but that doesn't mean she is North Korea's future leader, says a man whose job was once to protect the hereditary regime.

Kim Hyun-woo used to work for North Korea's top intelligence agency. He defected to South Korea in 2014 and is now on his first-ever visit to the United States.

In an exclusive interview with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, he shared his insights into why he fled the country, possible succession scenarios in the regime, and diplomacy with the U.S. amid mounting tension over North Korea's nuclear capabilities.

During his 17 years at the Ministry of State Security – a career possible only for elite North Koreans with credible social and familial background – Kim served in various divisions, analyzing intelligence data and at one point working at an overseas branch.