A South Korean court on Monday handed a suspended sentence to a North Korean defector who attempted to cross the border back into the North last year using a stolen bus, according to local media.
The defector, who was not publicly identified, received a two-year prison sentence suspended for three years from the Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Court, the Yonhap News Agency reported Monday.
The ruling means he will avoid jail time if he does not commit further offenses during that period.
The incident occurred on Oct. 1, when the man stole a shuttle bus from a garage in Paju, about five miles south of the heavily fortified border, and drove it approximately three miles toward the Unification Bridge, which spans the Imjin River and connects the two Koreas.
He was apprehended by South Korean soldiers after crashing into a checkpoint barricade, Gyeonggi Provincial Police said at the time.
The court stated in its ruling that the defector did not appear motivated by support for or loyalty to North Korea, according to Yonhap.
“This case partially reflects the reality that the North Korean defectors face, and it is understood as an issue for South Korea to solve as a preparation for unification,” the verdict said, according to the report.
The man, originally from Hyesan in northern North Korea near the Chinese border, defected to the South in 2011 and worked in construction until a leg injury in 2017. He then experienced financial hardship and lived in a boarding house. Yonhap reported that he was asked to leave the facility in September for missing rent payments.
In need of assistance, he visited a local community center and expressed regret over his defection.
“Living in North Korea was much better than living in the South,” he told the community center’s staff, according to Yonhap. “I miss my family in North Korea so much and want to go back.”
Nearly 240 North Koreans defected to the South in 2024, down significantly from a peak of 2,914 in 2009, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Unification. Since 1998, approximately 34,350 defectors have arrived in the South.
Adjusting to life in South Korea remains a challenge for many defectors, particularly in urban areas. Since 2012, 31 defectors have returned to North Korea, according to an Oct. 6 statement from Rep. Han Jeoung-ae’s office.
The South Korean government provides financial assistance and counseling to new defectors, including an initial resettlement grant of approximately $11,000, as well as employment and education support, the ministry said.
