A North Korean defector living in South Korea has been detained after crashing a stolen bus into a barricade on a bridge near the heavily militarized border in a failed attempt to return to his isolated homeland.
According to media reports, the man fled to South Korea in 2011 and on Tuesday tried to drive through the Unification Bridge in Paju, just south of the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. , ignored the soldiers' warnings to stop. The story was reported by local police in South Korea.
An investigation official told Agence France-Presse that the man was trying to cross, saying, “The man is living in difficult economic conditions as a construction worker and wants to see his family who are still in the north.''
Police are considering charging the suspect, who is in his 30s, with theft and violating national security laws, the investigator added.
Crossing from the south to the north is rare, with many exiles usually heading in the opposite direction, many struggling to adapt to life in neighboring democratic and capitalist countries.
According to Seoul's Unification Ministry, more than 34,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the 1950-1953 Korean War, most of them fleeing poverty and oppression at home, usually via China. , after a difficult and sometimes deadly journey.
In 2022, the ministry, which is in charge of cross-border operations and provides resettlement support for North Korean defectors, announced that approximately 30 North Korean defectors had been confirmed to have returned to North Korea since 2012. Defectors and activists say there may be many more cases going unreported.
In early 2022, a North Korean defector in his 30s made a rare and risky return to North Korea across a heavily fortified border after struggling to cope in South Korea. This has sparked a new debate about how such defectors will be treated in their new homeland.
North-South relations are at their worst in years, with North Korea stepping up its weapons tests and bombarding South Korea with balloons filled with garbage, and South Korea responding by suspending military agreements and resuming propaganda broadcasts. It's in
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