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North Korean diplomat hiding in Italy now under protection ‘somewhere’ else: Seoul
- South Korea’s spy agency said Jo Song Gil, North Korea’s former acting acting ambassador to Italy, has left the European country
- Jo had gone into hiding with his wife last November, the National Intelligence Service said
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South Korea’s spy agency on Thursday told lawmakers that a North Korean diplomat who went into hiding in Italy last year is now under protection outside the country.
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National Intelligence Service officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that Jo Song Gil, North Korea’s former acting ambassador to Italy, has left Italy and is being protected “somewhere”, said lawmaker Lee Eun-jae.
Lee said the spy agency apparently meant a third country but did not reveal which one.
Officials from NIS did not provide a specific answer when asked whether South Korea was involved in protecting Jo, she said.
Lee provided no other details.
The NIS told lawmakers in January that Jo went into hiding with his wife in November.
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But the agency has a mixed record on tracking developments among North Korea’s ruling elite, which is made difficult by Pyongyang’s stringent control of information about them.
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