Defector says North Korean regime is crumbling

A top-ranking defector from North Korea has said the rogue state's dictator, Kim Jong-un, is rapidly losing his grip on power and the regime's days look numbered.

Thae Yong-ho had been the second most senior diplomat at the North Korean embassy in Britain, reports The New York Times.

He told a media conference on Wednesday in Seoul, the capital of South Korea the government's repressive hold over citizens is collapsing.

"I am sure that more defections of my colleagues will take place, since North Korea is already on a slippery slope."

"The traditional structures of the North Korean system are crumbling."

South Korea has hailed his defection as a sign of growing disillusionment among North Korean elites with the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un.

His statement marked a drastic change for the former career diplomat and regime supporter.

Thae, a fluent English speaker, had served in Britain, Denmark and Sweden, often giving speeches glorifying the Kim family that has ruled North Korea for seven decades.

He has now joined a think tank in the south that works to bring about regime change within its northern neighbour.

The best way to force change in the isolated north, Thae believes, is to spread outside information there to help ordinary citizens eventually rebel.

South Korean TV dramas and movies smuggled from China are already popular in the north, he said.