The army colonel had handled spy operations targeting South Korea at the North's General Bureau of Reconnaissance before arriving in Seoul last year, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Unification and defence ministry spokesmen in Seoul confirmed the report but declined to elaborate on details, including the official's name.
"He is the highest-level military official to have ever defected to the South," a Seoul government official was quoted as saying by Yonhap .... http://www.abc.net.au
