I’m in Seoul, and a few hours ago I met with a high-level defector from North Korea.

The man, Kim Duk Hong, was once on the Central Committee of the Korean Workers Party, helping conduct a number of foreign operations on behalf of the Kim Jong Il regime.

After several hours of discussions on other topics, I asked him how he liked living in South Korea. He looked disgruntled.

“South Korea won’t give me a passport,” he said. “I can’t travel.”

I found that curious. He escaped a virtual prison, North Korea, and finds himself unable to move freely from his new home.

“The (South Korean) government thinks that if I go to the States, I’ll talk about North Korea’s involvement in nuclear matters, counterfeiting currency and human rights issues,” he explained. “President Roh (Moo-hyun of South Korea) would hate me. He wants me to keep my mouth shut.”

A bunch of beefy bodyguards accompanied Kim to our meeting. I asked a man who helped set up the meeting whether the bodyguards were to protect Kim from harm by others or to ensure that he doesn’t move about too freely. “Both,” he responded.

Now as I review the internet, I see this is a longstanding situation.

So this is the picture: South Korea, determined to improve relations with North Korea at all costs, is blocking top North Korean defectors from moving about freely and speaking their mind. It doesn’t want them to blab about how bad things are in the North for fear that Pyongyang will be piqued.

It isn't exactly the freedom that the North Koreans probably expected in the South.