By Erica Wong |Staff Writer|

North Korean defector Lee spoke last Wednesday to an overflowing room about his experiences as a high-ranking official in the Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK) and worked closely with the Kim family.

Lee’s full name and his exact title will not be disclosed due to security reasons.

Lee had a quiet, friendly demeanor, but there was an air of mystery about him as he tactfully evaded questions that were too personal.

When asked about the circumstances behind his defection, he smiled and said, “I will just have to tell you next time.”

Everything done in North Korea is to highlight Kim Jong-Un, his leadership and the regime, according to Lee.

There were a total of 132 open events, from January to August this year, celebrating Kim Jong-Un.

Even construction projects to boost the economy, such as development of professors’ apartments and large scale stock-raising farms all ultimately stress the power of the regime.

North Korea’s ulterior motives for manipulation in their relationships with other countries are evident, especially with South Korea.

Three North Korean officials’ visit to the closing ceremony of the Incheon Asian Games was sensational to the rest of the world, but Lee suggested North Korea didn’t consider it very significant.

It is very natural for North Korea to attend an event where their country’s athletes are competing, said Lee. However, the visit provided several advantages for North Korea.

Lee explained that North Korea used this opportunity to save face by accepting the South’s request of a second round of high-level talks, as well as using declarations beforehand to predict South Korea’s claims during the talks.

North Korea took deep consideration in attending the closing ceremony, according to Lee, delivering Kim Jong-Un’s warmest greetings to President Park Geun-hye.

“We came here with hope for improving relations between North and South Korea,” said Kim Yang-gun, the Party Secretary overseeing relations with South Korea.

North Korea’s appearance at the Asian Games signified resumption of peace talks, once again demonstrating the stability of the Kim regime.

North Korea is notorious for its reputation of posing a nuclear threat to the rest of the international community.

“There is a long story behind the nuclear development of North Korea,” said Lee.

The country wanted to be an independent, dominant political power, so they developed nuclear weapons because they are “considered more effective and stronger than ‘typical’ weapons,” according to Lee.

President Park and the UN have also criticized North Korea for their human rights violations, urging them to do away with their political prisoner camps.

The Kim Regime has shown a fake facility with better housing and meals, for example, to human rights ambassadors as deception, according to Lee.

“The regime’s strategy for dealing with their human rights violations is to hide and avoid, and to take other countries’ issues in order to justify their own violations,” said Lee. “They will distort and justify and defend the situation, because that’s what the regime has done and will continue to do.”

Although North Korea would rather criticize other countries than face their own problems, the government still aspires to effectively build socialism.

North Korea frequently criticizes South Korea for being “the country of exploitation and having a vicious cycle of poverty,” said Lee. “But from my point of view, it seems as though North Korea is building their ideal country based on South Korea.”