A North Korean who came to South Korea disguised as a defector has been officially been charged by the Prosecutor’s Office, a South Korean daily reported Tuesday.

South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that the South Korean prosecutor charged the 40-year-old man, surnamed Hong, on Monday for espionage.

Hong, who was allegedly designated as a spy in May 2012, came to South Korea in August last year. It took two months for him to get in South Korea, as he stopped by Laos and Thailand before arriving there, the Chosun reported.

Hong’s mission was reportedly to gather information on North