A former North Korean senior colonel who has divulged much information about the personal lives of North Korean leaders says he sought South Korean asylum in 2006 but was rejected by an official at the South Korean Embassy in Austria.

Kim Jong-ryul, who escaped North Korea in 1994 and now lives in hiding, made the remark on Thursday.

Kim spent 16 years in hiding in Austria after having worked in Europe as a procurement officer for the North’s dictator for 20 years up until 1994.

In response, a senior official at the South Korean Embassy in Austria said that it is true Kim contacted the embassy in 2006 but that while efforts were being made regarding his request, Kim suddenly disappeared and cut off all contact.

Kim requested Austrian asylum last week shortly after the publication of a new book in Vienna in which he divulged the lavish lifestyle of late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, which included luxury car collections and private chefs.