North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who was reported Tuesday to have defected from his post from the DPRK's London embassy, is in South Korea, the Ministry of Unification (MoU) said on Wednesday afternoon during a special press briefing.

"The North's Minister Thae Yong-ho, based in England, recently arrived in the South with his wife and children," Unification Ministry spokesperson, Jeong Joon-hee, said.