Defector steals village bus to return to North Korea, citing difficult life in the South

[bnew]

Defector steals village bus to return to North Korea, citing difficult life in the South

A defector living in South Korea stole a village bus and attempted to cross the Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi, to return to North Korea before being apprehended by police on Tuesday.

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com

Defector steals village bus to return to North Korea, citing difficult life in the South​

Published: 01 Oct. 2024, 11:04 Updated: 01 Oct. 2024, 14:05

• SARAH KIM
  
• kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr
  

A view of a barricade installed in front of the Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi, in a file photo from 2021. [YONHAP]
A defector living in South Korea stole a village bus and attempted to cross the Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi, to return to North Korea before being apprehended by police on Tuesday.

According to the Paju Police Precinct, the man, in his 30s, stole a village bus parked in a garage in Munsan-eup, Paju, around 1 a.m. Tuesday. The key had been left in the vehicle.

He was arrested at approximately 1:30 a.m. after driving the bus from south of the Unification Bridge toward the north, ignoring military guards blocking the way. He ultimately crashed the vehicle into a barricade.

The northern section of Unification Bridge is off limits to civilians and can only be passed after presenting a special pass.

The man, who defected from North Korea about 10 years ago, was confirmed to have lived in Sillim-dong in Seoul's Gwanak District until recently.

Police said the man testified his motive was a desire to return to North Korea, citing difficulties in life in South Korea.

He was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time. Police have booked him for further investigation into the case.

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

Not being told what to do and believe after having that responsibility covered for most of your life is a difficult adjustment as an adult.

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

I’m not sure if reunification will ever happen in Korea but if it does those Northerners will need Psychological Therapy in massive proportion.

 

[bnew]

Not being told what to do and believe after having that responsibility covered for most of your life is a difficult adjustment as an adult.

not so different from being institutionalized after a decade+ of incarceration. scary the few times i've seen video of some incarcerated people who were briefly free say they prefer prison to the outside.

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

not so different from being institutionalized after a decade+ of incarceration. scary the few times i've seen video of some incarcerated people who were briefly free say they prefer prison to the outside.

When I wrote the comment, that’s what I thought of and the Reconstruction after the emancipation of enslaved people in the US.

Of course, the cruelly treated were delighted to figure it out.

 

[KingDanz]

Not being told what to do and believe after having that responsibility covered for most of your life is a difficult adjustment as an adult.

Aren't South Korean prejudice against North?

 

[skokiaan]

not so different from being institutionalized after a decade+ of incarceration. scary the few times i've seen video of some incarcerated people who were briefly free say they prefer prison to the outside.

Americas kink..vote trump in and shut off the rest of the world ...worst is apart form less than 7 states..majority is populated by a bunch of yokels living their worst lives thinking they better than the rest of the world. The irony of trying to shut off your land from people escaping the same problems

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

I’m not sure if reunification will ever happen in Korea but if it does those Northerners will need Psychological Therapy in massive proportion.

North Korea is great. America would be better off under a dictatorship. Everybody on the same playing field.

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

Aren't South Korean prejudice against North?

From the few videos I saw. The south looks at the north the like lost brothers/sisters. The beef is with the regime, not the people.

 

[Kiyoshi-Dono]

South Koreans are some of the most vapid, narcissistic muthafukkas you will ever come across
Especially the women
Them chicks were fukking insane and wouldn’t let me go
So I can understand why buddy wanted to go back to the gulag

 

[Breh13]

SK society is insane but nothing beats freedom but as people have said above. When your life is one thing, it becomes very difficult to get used to it without serious careful help. Throwing people into a society they have no clue how to navigate is going to fail very often.

 

[Geek Nasty]