The 17-year-old daughter of a senior North Korean diplomat, who had claimed asylum in Italy from Italy in November and then disappeared, was kidnapped by North Korean intelligence agents in Italy and returned to North Korea. The case, reported by the South Korean media, is about the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said today that Italy is reviewing the media reports. „After that we will draw conclusions,“ said the Foreign Minister. The case caused a scandal in Italy. It is unheard of that North Korean intelligence agencies are kidnapping the underage daughter of a diplomat who is now threatened with torture in her homeland, State Secretary for the Italian Foreign Ministry, Manlio di Stefano, said. The diplomat’s daughter visited a school in Rome before being deported.
Amnesty calls for immediate intervention
Amnesty International called on the Italian government to intervene immediately to clarify the reasons for the abduction. „How is it possible that North Korean agents could deport a minor from Rome?“ Amnesty International Italia’s President Antonio Marchesi asked today.
Pyongyang’s ambassador in Rome, Jo Song Gil, is another senior representative of the Communist country who has turned his back on the leadership. The 48-year-old diplomat is being protected in a „safe place,“ according to South Korean media.
Jo took up his post in October 2017 after the Italian government expelled his predecessor Mun Jong Nam in protest of a North Korean nuclear test of the country. Most recently, former North Korean Vice Ambassador Thae Yong Ho relocated to London.
