Ambassador Recalled

[Anchor Lead]

An exclusive report from KBS has confirmed that Ambassador Hyon Hak-bong of the North Korean embassy in London, from where deputy ambassador Thae Yong-ho defected earlier this month, has been ordered to return to Pyongyang.

[Pkg]

Hyon Hak-bong served as the North Korean Ambassador to the UK since 2011. He has maintained the post, a key position in North Korea's Western diplomacy, for five years, despite crises such as the execution of Jang Song-thaek, with whom he shared close ties. Whenever global pressure tightened on North Korea, Hyon voluntarily held interviews with foreign media to defend the Pyongyang regime.

[Soundbite] N. Korean Ambassador Hyon Hak-bong(BBC Interview / April 2016)

But now, following the defection of deputy ambassador Thae Yong-ho under his leadership, Hyon has also suffered a critical blow. A diplomatic source familiar with North Korean affairs reported that Hyon has been summoned back to Pyongyang. The source said Hyon will likely be questioned over his responsibility for Thae's defection and why the matter was not properly reported to Pyongyang in the early stages. Hyon is expected to return to North Korea around October after the Berlin office of the North's state security department concludes its ongoing investigation on the ambassador and the North Korean embassy in London. It has also been reported that a foreign ministry director with a military background will replace Hyon, and that Pyongyang is currently awaiting the British government's agrément.