A North Korean who fled to South Korea in 2011 failed to return to his homeland on Tuesday, after driving a stolen bus into a barricade near the heavily militarised border, The Guardian reports.
The man tried to drive through a barricade on the Tongil Bridge near Paju, a city south of the heavily guarded demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. The man ignored warnings from military officials to stop.
According to the AFP news agency, the man wanted to return to North Korea because he was living under “difficult economic conditions” as a construction worker and he also missed his family in North Korea.
Police are considering charging the suspect, who is in his 30s, with theft and violating national security laws.
Crossing from South to North Korea is rare. The South Korean government said in 2022 that about 30 defectors had returned since 2012. But activists say there are more cases that have never been reported.
Defectors usually come to South Korea to escape poverty and oppression in North Korea. But some have difficulty adjusting to life in a democratic, capitalist country upon arrival.
Relations between Koreas are at an all-time low
The border between North and South Korea has been heavily guarded for decades. From 1950 to 1953, the countries fought during the Korean War. After that, they signed an armistice, but not peace.
Relations between the two Koreas are at a low point. Pyongyang has stepped up weapons tests and bombarded South Korea with balloons carrying waste . In response, Seoul has suspended a military agreement and resumed propaganda broadcasts.
