North Korean defector likely to be three-time silver medallist in maths olympiad
Jong Yol Ri’s photo was sent to a Whatsapp chat group made up of event’s student aides to seek help in finding him a day after the full N Korean delegation was last seen at the closing ceremony in Hong Kong
The North Korean defector who mysteriously snuck away during an international mathematics contest in Hong Kong is believed to be Jong Yol Ri, a three-time silver medallist at the annual competition, the South China Morning Post has learnt.
A photo of Jong, which the Post has obtained, was sent to a Whatsapp chat group of some 100 university students helping at the 57th International Mathematical Olympiad at about 1pm on July 16 – a day after the team of six North Korean students were last seen at the event’s closing ceremony.
They were asked to look for the maths whiz, who won his third silver medal at this year’s event, a source close to the matter told the Post. At the time, the student helpers were escorting the 500-odd contestants from 109 countries to their buses at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Sai Kung, a fairly remote area.
No one responded to the message, the source said.
CCTV footage from the university is understood to show a student leaving the campus alone.