A former North Korean diplomat who staged a high-profile defection in 2016 has urged an old colleague who has gone missing in Italy to defect to Seoul, following a report that he was seeking asylum in the United States.
Jo Song Gil, 44, who was until recently North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy, disappeared with his wife after leaving the embassy without notice in early November, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday.
Jo has applied for asylum in the United States and is under the protection of Italian intelligence, Italy's La Repubblica newspaper said on Friday, citing an unidentified diplomatic source.