Tae Yong-ho Secretary General | |
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태영호 | |
![]() Thae testifying at the U.S. Capitol in November 2017 | |
Secretary General of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council | |
Assumed office 22 July 2024 | |
Member of the National Assembly | |
In office 30 May 2020 – 23 May 2023 | |
Preceded by | Lee Jong-gu |
Constituency | Seoul, Gangnam A |
North Korean Deputy Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
In office 1 June 2006 – 15 August 2016 | |
Supreme Leader | Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Un |
Personal details | |
Born | Pyongyang, North Korea | 25 July 1962
Citizenship | South Korea North Korea (1962–2016) |
Political party | People Power Party (2020–present) |
Other political affiliations | Workers' Party of Korea (before 2016) |
Spouse | O Hye-son |
Children | 2 sons |
Alma mater | Beijing Foreign Studies University,[1] Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies |
Known for | Defection |
Signature | ![]() |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 태영호 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Tae Yeong(-)ho |
McCune–Reischauer | T'ae Yŏngho |
Pseudonym | |
Hangul | 태구민 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Tae Gu(-)min |
McCune–Reischauer | T'ae Kumin |
Tae Yong-ho (Korean: 태영호; Hanja: 太永浩,[3] Korean pronunciation: [tʰɛ.jʌŋ.ɦo]; born 25 July 1962), also known by his pseudonym Tae Ku-min (Korean: 태구민; Hanja: 太救民), is a North Korean-born South Korean politician and former diplomat who is serving as a member of the National Assembly for the Gangnam district of Seoul. After studying abroad in Beijing, China, for a decade, he became North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, prior to defecting with his family to South Korea in 2016.[4][5] In August 2016, the South Korean government confirmed that Thae and his family were under their protection.[5]
Tae was elected to the National Assembly in the 2020 South Korean legislative election as a member of the People Power Party.