Acting Italy ambassador, North Korean diplomat, Jo Song Gil ‘in hiding’

An acting ambassador from North Korea went missing with his wife in November amid speculation he may become his country’s first diplomat to defect since 2016.

North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy Jo Song Gil in March 2018. Picture: AP

North Korea’s acting ambassador to Italy, Jo Song Gil, went into hiding with his wife in November, South Korea’s spy agency has told politicians in Seoul.

South Korean MP Kim Min-ki says an official from Seoul’s National Intelligence Service shared the information during a closed-door briefing.

Korea's acting ambassador to Italy Jo Song Gil, second from right, holding a model of "Bell of Peace of Rovereto" during a cultural event on the occasion of a visit of the North Korean delegation to the Veneto region, in northern Italy. Picture: AP

Mr Kim did not say whether the spy agency revealed any information about Mr Jo’s current whereabouts or whether the diplomat had plans to defect to South Korea.

The NIS official said Mr Jo and his wife left the official residence in early November, weeks before his term was to end, Mr Kim said.

An external view of the North Korean embassy in Rome. Picture: AP

The politician couldn’t confirm a South Korean media report that Mr Jo was under the protection of the Italian government as he seeks asylum in a Western nation. North Korea has not yet commented on Mr Jo’s status.

An official with the Italian Foreign Ministry said the North Korean no longer held diplomatic status in Italy and had not requested asylum from Italy.

An external view of the North Korean embassy in Rome. Picture: AP

The last senior North Korean diplomat known to have defected is Thae Yong Ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, who fled to South Korea in 2016.

While not identifying him by name, North Korea’s state media described Mr Thae as “human scum” after his defection to the South and claimed he was trying to escape punishment for serious crimes.

The flag of North Korea waves inside the compound of the North Korean embassy in Rome. Picture: AP

About 30,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to South Korean government figures.

Many defectors have said they wanted to leave North Korea’s harsh political system and poverty.

North Korea often accuses the South of deceiving or paying people to defect, or claims that they have been kidnapped.