Radio Review: The Defectors. Drama on BBC Radio 3.
Golf or tennis? Such simple choices set in motion the high tension of Al Smith’s story of the defection in 2016 of North Korea’s Deputy Ambassador, Thae Yong-ho.
In a radio play that mixes drama with documentary context the story grips as Thae at first loyal to the cruel regime back home due to total fear of being denounced and shot – but after doubts creep in prompted by his wife Oh Hye Son he ‘runs.’ Or rather the family runs as North Korean agents begin tailing them.
Through a series of agonisingly slow moves to prove his loyalty he eventually finds himself in London with his wife and two sons. Life is much better in the UK than North Korea but when it appears he is to be summoned home a snap decision has to be made. Being recalled almost certainly means either death, exile or disgrace and ruin.
Running only happens when a North Korean is either about to be arrested – or has painstakingly planned their escape. In this case it was via a taxi cab to Brize Norton and a new life.
Fear of retribution is the driving force of The Defectors with Thae’s heavy breathing and his wife’s pleading for them to escape with their sons that make this an outstanding piece of radio drama.
Harry Mottram
From the BBC: The Defectors. Released On: 09 Mar 2025
Drama by Al Smith Presented by Paul French. On a quiet suburban street in Ealing there’s a house like none other. All of its windows are blacked out and while kids play in the street and neighbours wash cars in driveways, the activities inside the house on Gunnersbury Avenue are shrouded in mystery. That’s because it’s the home of the North Korean embassy in London, and this is a story inspired by the high profile 2016 defection of its Deputy Ambassador, Thae Yong-ho. Presented by Paul French, our programme mixes documentary with drama (written by Al Smith) to explore a real life story of espionage. It’s le Carré with an usual twist of suburbia and a snapshot of the world’s only communist hereditary monarchy. After a distinguished career in Pyongyang’s foreign service, Thae Yong-ho moved to London with his wife and children. Unlike his colleagues, the family embraced British life, sending their boys to London schools, joining the local tennis club and cultivating a taste for Indian restaurants. All the while, Thae was monitoring the North Korean exile community in Britain, liaising with the few organisations supportive of the DPRK, as well as ensuring the reputation of his country. Then, in 2016, Thae received a message recalling the family to Pyongyang, forcing him to make an impossible choice. The programme brings together the stories of those who made the choice to escape from one of the most impregnable and secretive countries in the world knowing they can never return, never contact their family and former friends, never knowing if those people closest to them were punished for their decision to flee. Whether for a senior Party loyalist in privileged Pyongyang, or a struggling family faced with famine and poverty, leaving the world’s most reclusive and secretive state is a monumental decision with massive ramifications. As well as the thrilling account inspired by Thae Yong-ho’s defection, Paul French explores the experiences of ordinary North Koreans who’ve escaped and made the perilous journey to the UK. Their stories never made the newspapers, they didn’t excite the interest of the intelligence services, but their actions are no less brave or committed.
Thae . . . . . Andrew Leung Oh . . . . . Liz Sutherland Lim Ambassador . . . . . David K S Tse Kwan . . . . . Dan Li Ken . . . . . David Hounslow Hyuk . . . . . Nicholas Goh Jae . . . . . Michael Miller Jang . . . . . Chris Lew Kum Hoi Jenny . . . . . Ruth Everett Ron . . . . . Samuel James Ari . . . . . Rose Esconda Boy . . . . . Aurelius Eideberg Presented by Paul French and drama written by Al Smith. Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Connolly-Davis Sound designer: Peter Ringrose Director: Sasha Yevtushenko A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 3
Wikipedia has a page on Thae who eventually was able to settle in South Korea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tae_Yong-ho#:~:text=He%20was%20North%20Korea’s%20deputy,and%20brightest%22%20in%20the%20country.
Rapscallion Magazine is an online publication and is edited by Harry Mottram and is published for his own interest.
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Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk
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