Thae Yong-ho is the highest-level North Korean diplomat to defect to the South.
A former North Korean diplomat says leader Kim Jong-un has no intention of giving up his nuclear weapons and sees his upcoming second summit with US President Donald Trump as a chance to cement his country's status as a nuclear weapons state.
Thae Yong-ho, who defected to South Korea in 2016, said in a news conference in Seoul on Tuesday that next week's meeting in Vietnam will be a failure if Trump can't get Kim to declare he will abandon all of his nuclear facilities and weapons and return North Korea to the nuclear non-proliferation agreement.
Thae worked as a minster at the North Korean Embassy in London before fleeing to South Korea.
He is the highest-level North Korean diplomat to defect to the South.
Australian Associated Press
