North Korea diplomat in Italy missing, South Korean MP says, after asylum report

A North Korean diplomat who was until recently acting ambassador to Italy has gone missing, a South Korean member of parliament said on Thursday, after a South Korean newspaper reported he was seeking asylum in the West.

The diplomat, Jo Song Gil, disappeared with his wife afterleaving the embassy without notice in early November, according to Kim Min-ki,a South Korean lawmaker who was briefed by the National Intelligence Service.

Earlieron Thursday, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing an unidentified diplomaticsource, said Jo, 48, had applied for asylum to an unspecified Western countryand was in a “safe place” with his family under the protection of the Italiangovernment.

Asenior diplomatic source in Rome said Italy’s foreign ministry knew nothingabout the reports. A second diplomatic source said the ministry had no recordof Jo seeking asylum in Italy. The source added that North Korea had announcedin late 2018 that it was sending a new envoy to Rome.

Coutesy : Reuters