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Ex-N. Korean official in Austria says he unsuccessfully sought asylum in S. Korea
BERLIN, March 12 (Yonhap) -- A former North Korean official who reappeared recently after spending 16 years in hiding in Austria says he unsuccessfully tried to seek political asylum in South Korea a few years ago.
Kim Jong-ryul, who made headlines early this month in a surprise reappearance with a book offering glimpse into the plush life of former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday that he contacted South Korea's embassy in Austria in 2006 in an asylum bid.
"But it fell through. As the embassy official rejected me, it amounts to the South Korean government's rejection," Kim said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News. "It appears they did so because I'm a communist with horns."
A senior official at the embassy in Austria acknowledged that Kim had contacted the mission, but said he then fell off the radar without a clear explanation.
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