Anchor: The former acting ambassador at the North Korean Embassy in Rome, who disappeared in November 2018, is alive and well and living in South Korea, it has been revealed. Multiple sources in the National Assembly Intelligence Committee said Jo Song-gil came to South Korea in July of last year apparently along with his wife.
Sam Len reports. 

Report: North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy, Jo Song-gil, entered South Korea in July last year through a third country, according to sources in South Korea's ruling party on Tuesday.

Main opposition People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-keung also confirmed that the former ambassador and his wife are under the protection of government authorities.

Jo is the first ambassador-level North Korean to defect to South Korea since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stepped into power in 2011. He is believed to have been among North Korea's elite diplomats, since he was assigned to Rome, which is home to the UN Food and Agriculture Agency's headquarters.

The whereabouts of the former diplomat had been a mystery for over a year, since he reportedly asked authorities to keep it a secret for safety reasons. A National Intelligence Service official refused to confirm whether he was actually residing in South Korea.

Jo vanished along with his wife while serving as North Korea's acting ambassador in Rome in November 2018, right before the expiration of his mandate. He was widely reported to be seeking asylum in a third country under the protection of either the Italian or another government.

He became acting ambassador to Italy in 2017 after then Amb. Moon Jong-nam was expelled by the European country following repeated nuclear provocations by North Korea. The Italian government confirmed in February of last year that Jo's teenage daughter had been sent back to North Korea just four days after her parents disappeared.

Meanwhile, defector-turned-lawmaker Thae Yong-ho expressed disappointment over local media reports revealing Jo's defection to South Korea, saying the diplomat will mostly likely be labeled a "traitor" in the North, while his remaining family and relatives will be subject to severe persecution.
Sam Len, KBS World Radio News