SEOUL, South Korea — A North Korean defector living in South Korea was detained Tuesday after ramming a stolen bus into a barricade on a bridge near the heavily militarized border, in an apparent attempt to get back to the North, Yonhap news agency reported.
The man, who is in his 30s and had defected more than a decade ago, told police that he was trying to return to North Korea after struggling to settle in the South, the report said.
It is highly unusual for North Koreans who have fled their isolated country to try to return, though many struggle to adapt to life in their democratic, capitalist neighbor.
As of June, around 34,200 North Koreans had resettled in South Korea, mostly after arduous, sometimes life-threatening journeys, usually via China, to escape poverty and oppression at home, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.
In early 2022, a defector in his 30s made a rare, risky return to North Korea across the heavily fortified border after struggling to cope in the South, igniting fresh debate over how such escapees are treated in their new home country.
Persons:
Yonhap
Organizations:
North
Locations:
SEOUL, South Korea, Paju, Seoul, Gyeonggi, North Korea, China
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