North Korea WARNING: Defector says pre-emptive strikes would create ‘HUGE CATASTROPHE’

Thae Yong-ho also said attempts to revive multilateral talks with leader Kim Jong-un would be futile, as there was no possible incentive that could deter the dictator from pursuing his

missile programme. 

Mr Thae was North Korea's former deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom in London until he and his family defected to South Korea in July last year. 

He told a security forum in Seoul on Thursday that recent suggestions by US congressmen to attack North Korea and force a regime change would be a big mistake, Yonhap news agency reported.

"A preemptive strike against North Korea will bring about a huge catastrophe. Before it happens, we should remove Kim Jong-un." 

Mr Thae also claimed trying to resolve tensions around the negotiating table would only buy the North Korea leader more time to grow his arsenal. 

He said it was the same strategy employed by his father and predecessor Kim Jong-il in 1994, when he agreed to freeze the country's nuclear programme in return for light water reactors and

oil from the US. 

In reality, the agreement allowed Kim Jong-il breathing space to steady North Korea's floundering economy, legitimise his regime and ultimately plough on with building weapons. 

A preemptive strike against North Korea will bring about a huge catastrophe

Mr Thae said: “We should not think that giving incentives to North Korea will help resolve Pyongyang's nuclear issue.

"Kim will never engage in any act that might pose threats to his long-term rule."

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Mr Thae has made a series of pronouncements on Kim's regime in recent weeks. 

Last month, he claimed the leader's grip on power was "crumbling" amid unprecedented acts of rebellion by citizens, according to the New York Times. 

He gave an example of unlicensed market traders, who were previously known as "grasshoppers" for their ability to quickly disappear at the first sign of police. 

Now, he said, those same sellers had been re-labelled "ticks" - because they refuse to budge when challenged and claim to have a right to make a living.

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