Kyong Wonha
Encyclopedia
Kyong Wonha is a nuclear scientist who may have participated in developing the North Korean nuclear program.
In North Korea, Kyong was a student at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang
. During the Korean War
, he fled to South Korea
, and eventually emigrated to Brazil
and then Canada
. He got a master's degree at Montreal's McGill University
in 1969, and finally a doctorate at the same institution. He later accepted the invitation from Pyongyang and returned to North Korea, where he may have supervised the construction of Yongbyon Reactors and then the whole nuclear development program of the country. He taught at McGill University and in 1972 was placed under house arrest by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) before being permitted to leave Canada and return to North Korea with his family.
According to a report published in the Weekly Australian but not confirmed by US officials, he defected to the West along with 20 scientists and military officers in October 2002 during Operation Weasel
, a complex operation that spanned six months and involved the Pacific island state of Nauru and 10 other countries. The fact that Kyong was able to leave the country has been viewed as a sign that he could not have played a very important role in the nuclear program.
In North Korea, Kyong was a student at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he fled to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and eventually emigrated to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and then Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He got a master's degree at Montreal's McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1969, and finally a doctorate at the same institution. He later accepted the invitation from Pyongyang and returned to North Korea, where he may have supervised the construction of Yongbyon Reactors and then the whole nuclear development program of the country. He taught at McGill University and in 1972 was placed under house arrest by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) before being permitted to leave Canada and return to North Korea with his family.
According to a report published in the Weekly Australian but not confirmed by US officials, he defected to the West along with 20 scientists and military officers in October 2002 during Operation Weasel
Operation Weasel
Operation Weasel is the name given to an alleged secret operation involving the governments of Nauru, New Zealand and the United States. The exact nature of the operation, if it did indeed exist, is subject to disagreement — most accounts link it to investigations into the sale of Nauruan...
, a complex operation that spanned six months and involved the Pacific island state of Nauru and 10 other countries. The fact that Kyong was able to leave the country has been viewed as a sign that he could not have played a very important role in the nuclear program.
See also
- North Korea and weapons of mass destructionNorth Korea and weapons of mass destructionNorth Korea has declared that it has nuclear weapons and is believed by many to have nuclear weapons. The CIA assesses that North Korea also has a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons...
- North Korean defectorsNorth Korean defectorsA number of individuals have defected from North Korea. Since the division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War , many people have defected from North Korea, mainly for political, ideological, religious and economic reasons...
- List of Koreans
- Nuclear technologyNuclear technologyNuclear technology is technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear power, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons...