North Korean envoy defects in possible sign that Kim's power base is 'drifting'

Acting ambassador to Kuwait fled for South last year, says fellow defector

North Korea's acting ambassador to Kuwait has defected to South Korea in the latest high-profile escape from the isolated country.

Ryu Hyun Woo had led North Korea's embassy in Kuwait since former ambassador So Chang Sik was expelled after a 2017 UN resolution sought to scale back the country's overseas diplomatic missions.