Posted on 01/03/2019 8:07:51 AM PST by SeekAndFind
A North Korean diplomat who was until recently acting ambassador to Italy has gone missing after reports he was seeking asylum in the West.
The diplomat, Jo Song-gil, disappeared with his wife and children after leaving the embassy without notice in early November, according to Kim Min-ki, a South Korean politician who was briefed by the National Intelligence Service.
The Seoul-based JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing an unidentified diplomatic source, said Mr Jo, 48, had applied for asylum to an unspecified Western country and was in a "safe place" with his family under the protection of the Italian Government.
But a senior diplomatic source in Rome said Italy's foreign ministry knew nothing about the reports and a second diplomatic source said the ministry had no record of Mr Jo seeking asylum in Italy.
The second source added that North Korea had announced in late 2018 that it was sending a new envoy to Rome.
"It was a perfectly normal procedure," the source said.
Mr Kim told reporters he had some information about the case but could not discuss it.
Mr Jo took up the acting envoy post in October 2017 after Italy expelled then-ambassador Mun Jong-nam in protest over North Korea's nuclear and long-range missile tests in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions.
Mr Jo's stint began in May 2015 and was due at the end of November, Mr Kim said.
A source familiar with the matter, who asked to remain unnamed in order to speak about a sensitive political issue, told Reuters that Mr Jo was officially replaced as acting ambassador by Kim Chon in late November.
The source could not confirm the newspaper report or whether Mr Jo was still based in Italy.
South Korea's presidential Blue House said earlier it had no knowledge of the matter.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc.net.au ...
Defected?
Must have preferred Italian cuisine to tree bark and grass.
Helping his leader Kim test antiaircraft guns
Of course, the possibility is very real that he was snathed by the Norks and is being returned home in a conex box as we speak.
Tuscany has its charms.
Tuscany? Sure, but there’s
really nothing available.
Given North Korea being what it is, I can’t decide if this guy defected or if he was used for target practice back in Pyongyang.
Either way, god help anyone associated with him and his family. They’ll end up dead or in one of the camps.
Even if he defected, the Norks can use facial recognition software to track him down, since he’s so unique looking.
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