SEOUL – North Korea’s top diplomat in Italy has gone into hiding, South Korea’s intelligence officials told lawmakers on Thursday. The high-profile escape would be a humiliating blow to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un who seeks to establish himself as a legitimate leader with global standing following a year of unprecedented diplomatic outreach. South Korean lawmaker Kim Min-ki briefed reporters about Jo’s possible defection based on information shared by Seoul’s spy agency in a closed-door hearing. According to Kim, Jo and his wife went missing without notice before the end of his term scheduled for late November. North Korean authorities are extremely sensitive about defections and only grant overseas travel to citizens deemed most loyal to the regime.

Source: National Post January 03, 2019 12:45 UTC