The number of North Korean elites defecting to South Korea appears to be on the rise, a trend that could have a destabilizing impact on Kim Jong Un’s grip on power.

Statements by recent high-level defectors point to a range of issues that are driving them to flee, from concerns about their children’s future and dissatisfaction with the leader’s handling of state affairs to the rejection of reunification as a policy goal.

But while some media have cited such defections as a sign of the regime’s imminent collapse, NK Proanalysis suggests elite discontent is unlikely to dramatically affect Kim’s