A diplomat at the North Korean embassy in London is defecting to another country, it has been reported.
The unnamed diplomat who works at the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is said to have left his wife and children, according to the South Korean daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.
Based on an anonymous source, the JoongAng Ilbo reports: "A DPRK diplomat in London is going through procedures to seek asylum in a third country.
"The DPRK Embassy made belated attempts to figure out the diplomat's whereabouts, but has failed."
It states that keeping track of North Korean defectors who had settled down in and around London and helping to find ways to counter the UK's criticism of North Korea's human rights violations were among the diplomat's roles. He also handled consular services.
The Foreign Office said they were not commenting on the reports and could not confirm if they were trying to verify them.
The Government's list of foreign diplomats in the UK shows there are five diplomats in addition to an ambassador based at the DPRK embassy in Ealing, west London.
The diplomat is looking to head to a "third country" which mean it does not include the UK or North Korea.
