North Korean ambassador to Italy in hiding, South Korean MP says

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1. The Latest: Defector: Missing NKorean from prominent family

Source: Associated Press

The Latest: Defector: Missing NKorean from prominent family

Jan 3, 2019 Updated 1 hr ago

ROME (AP) — The Latest on the disappearance of a North Korean diplomat and his wife from Italy (all times local):

1 p.m.

A North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2016 says a fellow envoy who reportedly has gone into hiding in Italy came from a family of diplomats, with both his father and father-in-law serving as ambassadors.

Thae Yong Ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in London who defected in 2016, said he worked with acting North Korean Ambassador to Italy Jo Song Gil for more than a decade at North Korea's Foreign Ministry.

Thae said in an interview with South Korean TV on Thursday that the Italian embassy was critical for North Korea because it handled negotiations with the World Food Program over food aid to the North and was a hub for smuggling luxury items to the North Korean elite.

South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday that Jo went into hiding with his wife in November before his term in Italy ended. His whereabouts are not publicly known now.

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