The daughter of Jo Song Gil, a North Korean diplomat believed to have defected late last year, has been returned to Pyongyang and is now in the custody of DPRK authorities, the country’s former deputy ambassador to the UK said on Tuesday.

Reiterating claims made in South Korean media this week during a press conference in Seoul, Thae Yong-ho said he had over the past month sought to verify rumors than Jo’s daughter had been forcibly returned to the DPRK before she should safely defect.

“North Korea took the child back to the country immediately,” Thae told journalists, saying he had been