And what the u. S. Could do to have a greater influence on the north Korean People. This hearing is two hours and 15 minutes. Is one of the highest ranking officials to ever to defect. As a former deputy pastor to the United Kingdom, he wanted his family to be free. It is where we have the opportunity to hear from someone with such unique insight into the most repressive regime into the world and one now threatening us with Nuclear Weapons. Thank you for speaking before this committee today. I wanted to acknowledge that it takes courage for you to do this. I met with you in august and soul along with mr. And mr. Snyder and barra. Your observations and recommendations to the committee will not only help them form u. S. Policy, but its my hope that your message including how we can peacefully denuclearize the Korean Peninsula will reach the ears of every north korean still suffering. As i know you agree its crucial we get information to North Koreans so they can better understand the selfserving regime there. As we will hear, a leads live in luxury while others barely survive. I think the kim regime is vulnerable. To support her information efforts, the house recently passed legislation authored by chairman emeritus to reauthorize the north korean human rights act. This bill continues our broadcast and updates our efforts to include more modern technology to help spread outside information its north korea. The reality is the regime itself will never be at peace with its people for its neighbors, or us. Information is not our only tool. Congress also has done its parts ramp up economic pressure. We passed a sanctions bill last february. We increase the tools by passing a sanctions package which targets north korean slave labor. In august we secured a major victory with unanimous adoption of Un Resolution 2371. We saw besser nikki haley tonight. She called this the strongest sanctions ever and post in response to a Ballistic Missile test. In september they passed another resolution further upping the pressure on the regime in response to its six Nuclear Tests. To be effective, these tools must be implemented aggressively. Well hear how theyre having an impact in hurting the regime. The administration has increase the pace but we need to increase the number of north korean designations and we need to do that without delay. By using all the tools we can bring pressure to bear peacefully in order to do nuclear rise of the Korean Peninsula. Your insights will be invaluable. Thank you for joining us here today. Ive been a north korea once, mr. Angle has been there in two occasions, what we would do now is that you will have your opening statement, then well go to you and hear from you and afterwards, we will go to members of the committee so they might ask you questions and you can respond. Mr. Angle, she like to make your opening statement. Thank you. I stand by every word you said, we have no disagreement on this very important issue. Welcome to the Foreign Affairs committee. Were grateful for your time this morning. As a chairman said, several members of the committee have visited north korea. Ive been there twice but not lately. Weve had dozens of experts appear to discuss our strategies and shed light the abuses of the kim regime, and to give us insight. One thing that was interesting when i was in pyongyang, got up early and walked around the voice of people going to work the looks well fed and well dressed, hasnt told by others these are the elites. The only ones in north korea better functioning well. They kept us out of any other place so we cannot see what was going on. So the insight you can provide will give our members in public a unique perspective on this challenge. You come to a sudden urgent time. North koreas accelerating their use of Nuclear Weapons. Our allies, south korea and japan are risk and that is quickly approaching where north korea could hit the United States. In a conflict on the creatinine scylla would entail perfect loss of life. Its one of the most urgent challenges we face on the global stage. Lets call it the way we see it. Ministrations of both parties have failed to put a lid on the program over the course of decades. I feel its happening now, the president and the administration is underlining diplomacy which is needed more than ever, hampering our ability to lead on the issue. The strategy seems to call for multilateral diplomatic pressure. These policies are aimed at slowing north koreas advances. Im not sure that we have seen evidence that weve seen rising tension between washington and pyongyang. Kims rhetoric the president s have thrown fuel on the fire and has escalated the risk of conflict. When the nine months into this administration we have no assistant secretary of state, for east asia, no ambassador to south korea, and im worried what might happen later on this month when the president travel station. Theres a lot of work to be done. Glad this committee staying focused. I hope will hear from the administration soon on its path forward. This is important in light of seniorlevel discussions to take place over the next few weeks conjunction with the president s trip. I will wrap up. Again, were fortunate to have you with us today. Thank you, i yield back. Thank you. This morning, members were joined, by the former deputy chief of admissions. As a former highranking north korean official he can provide us unique insights into kim jonguns machine. Without objection the witnesses fully prepared statement will be made part of the record. Members has five days to submit any questions for the record today. To summarize your marks, the four source. Chairman, Ranking Member, distinguish members of the house committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here today. First, i would like to express my gratitude to to accommodate my wishes to visit the United States gave me this opportunity to testify. As you are aware, i worked at the frontline of north korean diplomacy until i defected to south korea in 2016. My story is quite different from other defectors who may have experienced political oppression or who left to avoid difficulties. Rather, today ill tell you about my life as a north korean diplomat, why i defected to the free world. Why kim jongun is developing Nuclear Programs and how best to deal with the north korean regime. I went through in north korea which cannot even be dreamed of. At the age of 14, i was sent to china for a program, more than 20 years of my past 55 years of my life was very privilege by north korean standards. I lived and worked in Foreign Countries such as china, denmark, sweden, and the United Kingdom. It provided me with all kinds of political privileges and economic benefits during this time. And i was fortunate enough to leave the u. K. With my wife and two sons. Throughout my life, my family members and relatives ironically i ended up deserting that system and ideology im living in south korea right to not have any friends or relatives. Today im even testify the United States congress which i had always been taught to fight against. The reason i gave up the privileges and economic benefits was that i felt i cannot let my sons lead a life like me, as a modernday slave. I believe the best legacy i could leave was to give them the freedom that is so common to everyone in america. Had we not affected, i feared someday my sons would curse me for forcing them back to north korea. Their used online gaming, facebook messaging, email and internet news. I believe they would suffer a lot if they return to a north korean system. How could any boys familiar with freedom of the ever go back and re climate ties to a life in north korea. I cannot confuse and confiscate freedom and liberty from them. I cannot take back my happy smiles of my sons by bringing them back to north korea. I cannot force them to be loyal to kim jongun to show long live the super leader, kim jongun, long live the dprk, like i did. As a north korean diplomat, everyday activities and services was psychologically difficult. I have to pretend to be loyal to the regime even though my hard to not agree. Caught me trying to justify the north korean system went deep tone, and the concerns were fair and legitimate. This may think such as how could kim jongun poison his uncle . Why do we appear for humanitarian aid while pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its Nuclear Development. How then did the families relive the 60s to prevail so long in north korea. While dealing with these was painful and they made me realize the deeprooted in which the system is built. You might think that living as the elite classes about luxury goods, fine wines. Yet, the reality for many privilege people is far different. For example all Ranking Members getting promoted within the system even though you may enjoy more economic benefits as a result. Indeed the senior elite right have different ideas or express private dissatisfaction then here she could be subject as you know, even the members of the kims family have been subject to this persecution. That was the case of kim jonguns uncle and halfbrother. Beyond this, much more has been going on beneath the surface of the past five years. People have been persecuted without to process. For example, families of four north korean ambassadors to keep in malaysia were sent to prison camps and nobody knows if they are a live or dead. Former ambassador to sweden and to unesco were also false to return back and expelled from the Foreign Ministry after the death of. [inaudible] while on the surface they seem to have consolidated its power simultaneously, their great and unexpected changes taking place. Contrary to the official policy and wish of the regime, the free markets are flourishing. As more and more people get used to freak and capitalist markets the state own system becomes increasingly forgot about. The welfare system has long collapsed and millions of senior servants and Security Forces are dependent on bribes and embezzlement for their survival. Citizens do not care about state propaganda that increasingly watch equally imported south korean movies and dramas. Back in 2010, trimmed the arab spring many experts said it would be possible to imagine a similar event taking place in north korea, these changes make it possible to think about an uprising in north korea. As more and more people look at the reality of their Living Conditions, the north korean government will either have to change and adapt in positive ways or face the consequences of their escalating dissatisfaction. Until now, the system has prevailed through a credible reign of terror, and by almost preventing the free flow of outside information. Today, kim jongun thinks that only Nuclear Weapons and icbm can helped him. He also thinks the existence of a prosperous and democratic south korea so close to the border is a major threat to his dynasty. While kim jongun has long had the tools to destroy south korea, he also believes is necessary to drive the American Forces out this can be done he believes by being able to credibly threaten the United States with Nuclear Weapons. Thousands of artillery pieces longheld on the north korean side, the potential deployment of Nuclear Icbms means the threat the threat is not only toward south korea but also towards america. In face of the situation the u. S. Government is pursuing a policy of pressure and engagement. It will take some time to assess the effectiveness of the current economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation. As we wait to see the outcome, we should seek to continue the momentum and even more sections until they come to the dialect table for denuclearization. In face of the emerging threat we should strengthen the u. S. A Republic Alliance in order to prevent potential Nuclear Provocations by north korea. The usn republic of korea governments should enhance the level of their coordination and communication it is a longestablished of north korea to exclude south korea communicating only with the u. S. The United States and south korean governments should go through strong and concerted coordination. Frankly, kim jongun is not fully aware of the strength and might of American Military power. Because of this misunderstanding he generally believes he can break the sanctions regime of a part once he compels washington after successfully completing this program putting the new missiles into development. Some people do not believe that soft power but only military options. You need to reconsider whether weve tried all nonmilitary actions before you decide military action is taken. I think its necessary to meet kim jongun, at least once to understand his thinking and try to convince him that he would be destroyed. We cannot change the policy of terror that we can educate north korean population to stand up disseminated outside a outside information. Is the United States doing enough in this regard . The u. S. Is spending billions of dollars to cope with the military threat but how much does it spend each year on information activities involving north korea . Unfortunately it may be a tiny fraction. The communist systems of the and easier praying countries crumbled and the subsequent changes in thinking caused my people in the systems. The berlin wall would not have easily collapse if east german people did not regularly watch westerman tv. Much more need to be done to increase the flow of information and south korea. German reunification could not have been achieved if they were not provided an exit route for the east german people. Now, some 30,000 effectives have come in china tens of thousands of defectors are leaving without papers, and their being physically or sexually exploited. While the u. S. Should can continue urging china and russia to support more economic sanctions, should do more to stop beijing sending defectors back to north korea. The world was united to abolish the South African apartheid, now its time for the world to stop the widespread and systematic human rights violation in north korea which are tantamount to the crimes committed. This concludes my opening statement. Thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to your questions. Thank you very much. You make clear in your remarks that is more more people become informed about the reality of their Living Conditions and what theyre told is a paradise but they find out how people are living in the rest of the world that the north korean government will need to change or adapt in positive ways for its citizens, or face the consequences of the peoples escalating dissatisfaction. It has been a powerful impact in eastern europe. My question is, what kind of messages should we focus on sending it to north korea . Is it former defectors who have a story to tell who can report the news of what theyve seen . And should our message to the elites the different than the message that we would help people sent to the Common People in north korea . Youve make clear that both are dissatisfied with the regime. What is your suggestion . First, a north korean system can only be in place by meeting its leader we have to find out. After five years in power, kim jongun cannot still tell north Korean People his date of birth. Nobody north korea knows. His date of birth. Nobody knows whos mother his. Nobody knows his halfbrother. Nobody knows hes only third son of kim jongun. Come kim jongun. And now he is brainwashing the north korean population that he is the only bloodline, but after five years of this continuing, he still cannot provide north korean population with a single photo with his grandfather, why . Because he was a hidden boy by his father. He was kept secretly and silently in switzerland. The majority of north korean population do not know this. So we should disseminate the information about him first. Who he is, life and now he cannot present a single photo with his grandfather. Because his grandfather himself didnt know the existence of this boy. The majority of north Korean People do not know that his father had several ladies to live with. So, we should tell north Korean People the kim jongun and his father and his grandfather, the whole member of the kim dynasty are not the that is the first thing we should do. We should disseminate the basic concepts of freedom and human rights. North korea is a country with a system of classification. The population are divided into different classes. We have to tell the north how stupid system it is. It is similar like several hundred years ago. We have many rings to tell to north Korean People that it is not a paradise, it is not a socialist welfare system, it is the worst in human system in human history. Beijing, what should we be pressing beijing on, with respect to north korea . Mr. Thae i think we should intinue the current momentum inducing the Chinese Government to support economic sanctions against north korea. But that is not enough. Chinese government not to repatriot north Korean Defectors back to north korea. Chinese government knows that once these defectors are repate at any rates back to north korea, they would be the subject of torture, they would be the subject of enforcement of labor, so we should let Chinese Government open the route to south korea for all the hiding north Korean Defectors