A North Korean diplomat serving in Italy has apparently defected from his post in Rome, according to South Korea’s spy agency, and is hiding out…
A North Korean diplomat serving in Italy has apparently defected from his post in Rome, according to South Korea’s spy agency, and is hiding out in an undisclosed location with his wife.
Jo Song Gil, who had been serving as a diplomat in Italy since 2015, disappeared from the diplomatic compound in November, just weeks before his term was set to end, according to NPR’s Seoul correspondent Anthony Kuhn.
The South Korean National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, and while no details on Jo’s whereabouts are concrete, one lawmaker told reporters that Italy was holding the ambassador and his wife.
A South Korean newspaper suggested Jo, 48, has sought asylum in the west, but Italy has yet to confirm these reports.
