이탈리아 외무부 "북한 대리대사 아직 망명 요청 안해"
The case of a senior North Korean diplomat that went missing takes another twist.
Contrary to initial reports, an Italian official denies that he is under the protection of the country's authorities.
Lee Ji-won gets us up to speed with the developments.
The Italian government has confirmed that the missing North Korean diplomat has not requested asylum as of now.
An official in Italy's foreign affairs ministry said this to the Associated Press on Thursday,... adding that Jo Song-gil, the charge d'affaires of the North's Embassy in Rome, no longer held diplomatic status in Italy, presumably since his assignment had ended in late November.
This comes after South Korean newspaper Joongang Ilbo reported Thursday, citing diplomatic sources,... that Jo had applied for personal security protection from the Italian government in early December, and that he and his family are currently under the protection of Italian authorities.
Personal security protection is a diplomatic procedure aimed to prevent people from being repatriated while seeking asylum.
According to the paper, Jo went into hiding with his wife in early November in an attempt to seek asylum to a third country.
His current whereabouts is still unknown.
Though the Italian official said its foreign ministry hadn't received any request for asylum, Italian daily La Repubblica said that it's possible that the North Korean might have turned to other offices, such as Italian intelligence agencies for assistance.
The South Korean government on Thursday said they have no information regarding the report.
But according to lawmakers, who were briefed by Seoul's intelligence agency,... it is not yet clear whether Jo is hoping to defect to South Korea, and there has been no attempt by Jo to contact the government.
Jo was dispatched to Italy in May 2015... and started to run the North Korean mission there in October 2017,... as the Italian government expelled the North's ambassador Mun Jong-nam after Pyeongyang's sixth nuclear test.
It's believed that Jo decided to seek asylum,... after he was ordered to return home.
A major reason is deemed to be the education of his children.
This is believed to be the third case where a senior North Korean diplomat initially requested asylum to a country other than South Korea,... the last one being Thae Yong-ho, a former minister at the North's embassy in London who defected to the South in 2016.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
