South Korean national news rumbles when high-ranking North Korean politicians or military officials flee the country.

The news usually is followed by a slate of North Korea professionals who see this as a sign of the regime finally crumbling. But many neglect the fact that there have been hundreds, or maybe thousands, of North Korean elites who have already been purged or who have fled the country since the early days of national founder Kim Il Sung. In 2015, one sees no evident sign of North Korea’s internal insecurity.

In his writings, Cha Du-hyeogn, the former secretary to President Lee Myung-bak for crisis