SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean authorities have detained a North Korean defector who attempted to cross the fortified border back to North Korea on a stolen bus.
The man, in his 30s, was apprehended on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, after crashing the bus into a barricade at the Unification Bridge, a heavily guarded area separating the two Koreas.
According to local reports, the defector had stolen the bus around 1 a.m. local time from a garage in Paju, a city near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Surveillance footage showed the man trying to open several vehicles before successfully driving off in the bus.
He was caught just 30 minutes later after ignoring soldiers’ commands to stop at the bridge, which leads to the border.
The man told police he wanted to return to North Korea, citing difficulties adjusting to life in the South.
He had reportedly defected about a decade ago and has since worked as a day laborer in various cities, including Paju.
Media reports indicate that he had accumulated unpaid fines, adding to the challenges he faced while living in South Korea.
Though more than 34,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the division of the Korean Peninsula over 70 years ago, cases of defectors attempting to return to the North are exceedingly rare.
According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, only 31 defectors returned to North Korea between 2012 and 2022.
South Korean law strictly prohibits citizens, including defectors, from crossing the border to the North without government authorisation.
Violators face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. All North Korean defectors are granted South Korean citizenship upon arrival.
The motivations behind such rare returns vary, but many defectors struggle to adjust to life in South Korea.
A survey published this week by the Korea Hana Foundation found that defectors earn an average of 2.3 million won ($1,740) per month, a lower income than many anticipated when fleeing the North.
Others, burdened by homesickness or the desire to reunite with family members, attempt the perilous journey back.
In 2022, another North Korean defector in his 30s made headlines when he crossed back to the North after living in the South for a year.
He had reportedly faced severe difficulties resettling and was “barely scraping a living,” according to South Korean officials.
The fate of defectors who return to North Korea remains uncertain.
While some are imprisoned or undergo re-education, the North’s strict control over information leaves much unknown about the experiences of those who return.
As of now, the defector detained on Tuesday is in custody, and authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his attempt to return to North Korea.
