North Korean Defector Who Survived Public Executions and Four Chinese Imprisonments Stands for Council Seat in Stockport

Timothy Cho, a North Korean defector who survived two escapes from one of the world’s most repressive states, four imprisonments in China, and witnessed public executions as a child, is standing as a Conservative Party candidate in Stockport’s local elections — a journey that has taken him from a prison cell in Pyongyang to the doorsteps of Greater Manchester.

Classified an Enemy of the State at Nine Years Old

Cho’s ordeal began when he was nine, returning home from school to find that both his parents — high school teachers — had fled North Korea without him. The regime labelled him a “son of a traitor”, placing him in the enemy class and barring him from compulsory military service.

Marked as an outcast, he resolved to leave the country. His first attempt, at the Mongolian border alongside 17 others, ended in arrest by Chinese military forces.

The group was moved between prisons before being deported back to North Korea. Inside, Cho witnessed children stabbed to death, a man tortured, and was forced to attend a public execution — with children placed in the front row.

“Being in a prison cell in North Korea was one of the reasons why I later determined to become a human rights activist, for those still left behind,” Cho said.

Four Imprisonments Before the Age of Seventeen

Cho survived as the only member of his escape group. Barely able to walk, he made his way to his grandparents’ home before attempting a second escape — this time crossing into China with nine others through a contact of his grandmother.

The group reached an American school in Shanghai, where they were again arrested by Chinese police and transferred to an international prison. Facing almost certain deportation back to North Korea — which would have meant death — Cho said he prayed for the first time in his life, not knowing whether God existed.

A 14-year-old girl at the Shanghai school had witnessed their arrest and written to the western press. The letter triggered international media coverage, including reports by the BBC and CNN, generating sufficient diplomatic pressure for China to take the unusual step of deporting the group to the Philippines rather than North Korea.

It was Cho’s fourth imprisonment. He was 17 years old.

From the Philippines to the UK

Given a choice of destination in the Philippines, Cho chose the United Kingdom. He arrived in 2008 and began studying English, completing his GCSEs and A-levels before earning a BA in International Relations and Politics from the University of Salford and an MA in International Relations and Security from the University of Liverpool.

“I started learning English and got my GCSEs and A-levels and then on to university, where I studied politics,” he said. “This was all only possible because of the democratic platform the journalists used in the West, and the opportunities I was given when I arrived here.”

Now approximately 37 years old — Cho does not know his exact birth date — he has two children and has built a family in the UK.

A Defector’s View of British Democracy

Cho entered politics after working in parliament for Fiona Bruce, the former Conservative MP for Congleton. He drew a sharp contrast between British democratic norms and North Korea’s electoral theatre, where, he said, citizens are imprisoned for failing to tick the single permitted box for the single permitted candidate.

“Yes, I recognise that Britain is not a perfect country, but it is one of the finest countries that someone like me has come to, with empty hands, and been met with a warm welcome and given a second chance,” he told the Daily Mail.

He cited Winston Churchill and William Wilberforce as political heroes, describing both as men who “had faith in their darkest hour.” He said the Conservative Party’s emphasis on institutional continuity and reform appealed to him given his background.

Contesting a Labour Ward

The Stockport seat Cho is contesting is currently held by Labour. He described a cordial exchange on the campaign trail with his Labour opponent, Jo Williams, who reportedly told him he was “in the wrong party.”

Cho said some traditional Labour voters had told him they felt conflicted after hearing his story. His message to undecided voters was direct.

“My message, especially for younger people, is that every generation have their own time to fight, and I encourage them to use their vote,” he said. “Each vote is significant. And if I am elected, I will serve my community with love.”

On the broader state of democratic politics, Cho offered a perspective shaped by the absence of it: “People died for the vote.”