“It’s hard in the North, I want to go back to the North”… North Korean defector stole the bus and ran it over the Union Bridge

2022.05.16. Paju = Newsis A North Korean defector who complained about the hardships of life was caught by the police while trying to hijack a city bus and cross the Unification Bridge into North Korea. He reportedly told police, “I want to return to North Korea because life in South Korea is difficult.” It is noted that institutional and material support is needed for the settlement of North Korean refugees in the country.

● “I want to go to North Korea again” The city bus ran 800m

According to the North Gyeonggi Police Agency’s Security Investigation Unit on the 1st, Mr. A, a North Korean defector in his 30s, was arrested by the police around 1:00 a.m. this day and they ‘ attempted to cross the Union Bridge by stealing a city bus from a gas station and garage in Munsan-eup, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. According to the police, Mr. A drove a city bus and arrived at the South Gate checkpoint at the entrance to the Unity Bridge. After that, he refused to comply with the military checkpoint and ran about 800m further towards the North Gate checkpoint on the bridge. However, he crashed into a barricade at the North Gate checkpoint and was arrested around 1:30 a.m. that day. Union Bridge is located on a civilian access control line, so the public cannot people to pass through without prior permission.

On this day, Dong-A Ilbo reporter obtained closed-circuit TV (CC) footage from the garage, showing Mr. A looking around parked city buses in the middle of the night wearing a hat. Mr. A also showed with his hand if the bus door was locked. After that, he entered the bus and successfully started it, then he drove the bus, turned right at the garage, and left. The owner of the gas station said, “City buses in this area come to refuel before the first bus leaves at 5 in the morning. Most of the buses stopped today had their doors locked, but it appears they entered through the driver’s window.” An official at another nearby garage said, “There is no box separate for putting the car keys inside the city bus, so most people just leave the keys in the car.”

A driver who was driving on the route where the city bus took off with the North Korean guards first met a reporter around 3:30 pm this day and said e, “The driver of that bus left work after driving in an extra vehicle,” and “The keys to the vehicle are shared between the drivers. “We make an appointment and keep it in a special place on the bus,” he explained.

● In addition to living hardships, unpaid fines… 37.7% of North Korean detainees in Seoul receive basic benefits

Data image of Unification Bridge in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. News 1 said that the reason for Mr. A’s crime was ‘life problems’. According to the police investigation, Mr. A escaped from North Korea about 10 years ago and until recently lived in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul. During the police investigation, Mr. A said, “I tried to return to North Korea because life in South Korea was difficult. Mr A was said to be in a bad situation in South Korea after his disappearance from North Korea in 2011, and had unpaid fines. His personal immunity, which lasted five years after he was protected from North Korea, has been revoked.

According to the ‘Survey of Economic Activities and Quality of Life of North Korean Deportees in Seoul and Policy Guidelines’ published by the Seoul Institute on October 31 last year, 37.7% of North Korean defectors living there received in Seoul basic livelihood security. Those with no monthly income or less than 1 million accounts won 46.7%, while those with more than 1 million to less than 2 million accounts won 22.7%. According to the ‘2023 Regional Report on the Settlement Status of North Korean Defenders’ conducted by the North and South Hana Foundation, a public institution that supports North Korean defenders, there are 6,408 North Korean defectors living in Seoul last year, the average salary of North Korea. 626,000 won was lower than the general public.

Kim Young-hee, a former North Korean defector and researcher at North Korean Studies at Dongguk University (Director of External Cooperation at South Korea’s Hana Foundation), said, “There are no defects North Korea that comes to South Korea settles well. , and many of them work at business centers and do not have a high level of income. Researcher Kim said, “In addition to providing economic support to these defectors, we need to establish a small community organization in the local community where North Korean defectors can overcome their problems. “

As well as charging Mr A with car theft, the police are also considering bringing National Security Act charges. Article 6 of the National Security Act states, “Any person who enters or escapes from an area controlled by an anti-state group shall be punished with imprisonment of up to 10 years.”