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| North Korea ambassador to Italy 'in hiding' says South | North Korea ambassador to Italy 'in hiding' says South |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| South Korea's spy agency has told officials that North Korea's ambassador to Italy has gone into hiding. | South Korea's spy agency has told officials that North Korea's ambassador to Italy has gone into hiding. |
| The announcement follows unconfirmed reports that Pyongyang's top diplomat in Italy had sought asylum from an unidentified Western country. | |
| Jo Song-gil, the acting North Korean ambassador to Rome, is believed to be the son or son-in-law of one of the highest level officials in North Korea. | Jo Song-gil, the acting North Korean ambassador to Rome, is believed to be the son or son-in-law of one of the highest level officials in North Korea. |
| The last senior diplomat to defect was the deputy ambassador in London. | The last senior diplomat to defect was the deputy ambassador in London. |
| In 2016, deputy ambassador to the UK, Thae Yong-ho, abandoned his post, along with his wife and children. | |
| Speaking after a briefing from the spy agency on Thursday, Kim Min-ki, a government MP, told reporters: "Acting ambassador Jo Song-gil's term was ending in late November last year and he escaped the diplomatic compound in early November." | |
| Mr Jo's wife is believed to be with him | |
| Mr Jo, 48, has been acting ambassador in Rome since October 2017 after Italy expelled then-ambassador Mun Jong-nam in protest over a North Korean nuclear test a month earlier. | |
| North Korea's diplomatic mission in Italy is important for Pyongyang as the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization is based in Rome and North Korea often suffers from chronic food shortages. | |
| North Korean diplomats stationed abroad usually have to leave several family members behind in Pyongyang to prevent their defection. | |
| But Mr Jo is thought to have been in Rome with his wife and children, suggesting he may be from a privileged or influential family, |