North Korea brands defector as 'human scum'
North Korea has referred to its diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who defected to South Korea, as "human scum" with "no basic loyalty", in its first response to the defection. North Korea also slammed Britain for rejecting demands to return Thae, who had been its envoy to Britain. Reportedly, Thae is the highest-ranking diplomat to defect from North Korea to the South.