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North Korean biochemical weapons researcher defects to Europe

Lee fled on June 6, escaping first to the Philippines then seeking asylum in Finland.

By Elizabeth Shim

SEOUL, July 3 (UPI) -- A North Korean biochemical weapons researcher has defected to Europe, a South Korea-based human rights group said on Friday, carrying with him a flash drive containing 15 gigabytes of data.

The defector was identified as a 47-year-old with the surname Lee, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

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Lee fled on June 6, escaping first to the Philippines then seeking asylum in Finland.

The rights group that made the announcement told Yonhap Lee left North Korea because he no longer had faith in the research he was conducting at North Korea's Jagangdo Kanggye Bacteria Research Institute.

South Korean newspaper Herald Business reported Lee had witnessed the use of human test subjects in the course of his research.

Lee had said in testimony North Korea would take political prisoners and North Korean Christians, and use the captives to conduct biochemical experiments.

According to the North Korean researcher, the prisoners would be taken to a second-level basement floor, placed in glass cages and sprayed with sarin gas.

Sarin is a nerve agent that is toxic but also odorless and tasteless. Exposure to sarin can cause death in minutes.

Lee is expected to give a private testimony at European Parliament in July.

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Lee's defection comes at a time when North Korea has ordered the return of mid-ranking officials from overseas posts.

More state officials are defecting since Kim Jong Un fully assumed power in 2012.

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