North Korean defector who stole village bus to return North receives suspended sentence

A North Korean defector who attempted to return to the North by stealing a village bus due to extreme financial hardship has received a suspended prison sentence.

The man said he had never gone hungry for more than a day in the North, but in the South, he went a week without eating and felt he would die without money.

According to the Uijeongbu District Court’s Goyang branch on Monday, the court sentenced the man to two years in prison with three years of probation and a two-year suspension of certain civil rights.

He had been detained and charged with violating the National Security Act and the Military Base and Installation Protection Act.

He was accused of stealing a village bus from a garage in Munsan-eup, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, around 1 a.m. on Oct. 1 last year. He drove 4.5 kilometers to the southern checkpoint of the Unification Bridge, where he crashed through a barricade, entered a military zone, and continued another 900 meters before being stopped and apprehended by South Korean soldiers at the northern checkpoint.

Originally from Hyesan, Ryanggang Province in North Korea, he defected alone in December 2011. He worked various day labor jobs at construction sites in the South but was unable to work after injuring his leg in 2018. He lived in a small rented room and relied on basic livelihood support from the government.

In September 2023, he received a notice to vacate his rental unit due to unpaid rent. That same month, he inquired about emergency aid at a local community center and told a public servant, “I think I had illusions about life in the South. Life in North Korea was much better. I miss my family there and want to go back.”

The court said it did not find evidence that the man acted with political motivation or to praise or support the North Korean regime.

“This case reflects the harsh reality faced by some North Korean defectors trying to settle in South Korean society,” the court said. “It underscores a challenge that South Korea must address in preparing for unification.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.