A senior North Korean diplomat in Rome has been missing since late 2018 and is believed to have defected, officials from South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency (NIS) were reported to have said on Thursday.

Senior NIS officials were quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency and other outlets as having told a lawmaker that Seoul believes Jo Song Gil, who served as chargé d’affaires for the North Korean embassy in Rome, is believed to have defected in November 2018.

South Korean intelligence officials are reportedly unaware of his current whereabouts, however.

A diplomatic source with knowledge of the case told NK