By Park Si-soo



A North Korean defector who worked in South Korea as a journalist has gone missing at a border town between China and the North, according to reports.

He is believed to have been kidnapped to the North, according to South Korean news outlets, citing unidentified sources. The man, 60, was visiting Yanji in China's Jilin Province for reasons unknown.

He defected to Seoul in 2011 and has worked at an online news outlet specializing in North Korea. He has reportedly been out of contact since Monday morning.

"There was no problem in contacting him until Sunday, but it's been impossible since 7 a.m. Monday," Yonhap News Agency quoted a family member as saying. "He has made overseas trips many times, but we have never experienced a situation like this."

South Korea's foreign ministry is trying to find him, with cooperation from Chinese police.