Group declares ‘governmentin-exile’ for North Korea

SEOUL: A shadowy group believed to be protecting the son of North Korean leader Kim Jong un’s assassinated brother declared the formation of a government-in-exile yesterday, dedicating itself to the abolition of the “great evil”.

The Cheollima Civil Defence (CCD) organisation, which offers to assist people attempting to defect from North Korea, emerged in 2017 when it posted a video of Kim Han-sol, saying it had guaranteed his safety after his father was killed by two women who smeared him with nerve agent.

In a lengthy statement posted on its website in Korean and English yesterday — the 100th anniversary of a Korean movement against Japanese colonial rule — the group announced itself as a provisional government for the North called “Free Joseon”. Joseon is an old name for Korea. It claimed to be “the sole legitimate representative of the Korean people of the north”, adding: “Joseon must and shall be free. Arise! Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!”

The group posted a video of a woman, dressed in an old-fashioned black-and-white hanbok and her face blurred or only showing her back, reading out the statement in front of a traditional Korean pavilion in a field.

Little is known about CCD and it is unclear who is behind the organisation — although some have speculated it has links to South Korea’s spy agency.

The CCD is named after a mythical winged horse.