NORTH KOREA: Defector Thae Yong Ho, the deputy envoy to London who has been taken under the protection of South Korea, was branded “human scum” who lacked “even tiny bits of conscience and morality that are required for human beings” by North Korea at the weekend.

The Korean Central News Agency said Mr Thae had been accused of embezzlement and child rape before he fled. Britain’s Foreign Office has refused to comment on the case.