After hearing that North Koreans have endured seven decades of famines, public executions, political prison camps, collective punishment and restrictions on movement and information, it isn't surprising that attendees at our events featuring North Korean refugees often ask: “Why hasn't there been a revolution in North Korea?” I have posed that question to numerous North Korean refugees, and their answers vary depending on their experiences. One person I wanted to ask was Thae Yong-ho, the former deputy ambassador for the North Korean government who was based in the U.K. when he escaped to South Korea a decade ago. He was later the first former North Korean to be directly elected to South Korea's National Assembly. Unlike other former North Korean refugees who knew little about the outside world, Thae talks about foreign countries with the detail a baseball fan talks about his favorite team. I first met Thae and his family in 2017, and he has spoken at several events my organization has organized. Below are his main responses to my question, along with answers I gleaned from his boo