Countries Around World Urged to Cut Diplomatic Ties With North Korea

North Korean defector says that countries maintaining diplomatic relations legitimizes Kim regime

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in this file photo released by state media.

The United States needs to take a firmer line with allies in its diplomatic effort to isolate North Korea, a high-level defector told lawmakers this week.

“Ironically, so far, only a few countries in the world expelled North Korean ambassadors as a protest of the current continuation of the nuclear program,” said Thae Yong-ho, a former deputy chief at the North Korean embassy in London.