From Jay Nordlinger’s introduction: “Three years ago, Thae Yong-ho defected to South Korea. At the time, he was North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom. He is one of the highest-ranking North Koreans ever to defect. To defect from North Korea is no light thing, to put it as mildly as possible.

“I spoke to Thae Yong-ho at the Oslo Freedom Forum, the annual human-rights gathering held in the Norwegian capital. The circumstances were not ideal. When we began, there was a great din around us. You will have to listen closely. Eventually, the din subsides, but you may still have to listen closely. Given the unusual nature of our guest, and what he has to say from his life experience, I thought it was worth airing the conversation, even with the difficulties.”