North Korean defector who tried to escape North Korea due to threats from North Korean relatives and surrendered due to increased compensation to the Ministry of Security.

A North Korean defector who tried to escape again after being threatened by the North Korean National Security Agency (the Ministry of Security) by family members who remained in North Korea was sentenced to prison parole by a court . He, who actually made plans for North Korea, resigned from North Korea due to a conflict with the amount of loyalty to pay to the Security Agency.

According to law enforcement officials on the 28th, Judge Song Seung-hoon, who was solely responsible for criminal 12 of the Seoul Central District Court, convicted North Korean defector A (48), accused of violating the Law. of National Security (meeting, communication, infiltration, escape), eight months in prison and two years of probation. In March 2018, Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of discussing plans to escape to North Korea again, including text messages exchanged 117 times with a North Korean security officer.

According to the court, Mr. A crossed the Tumen River in February 2011 and fled to China in North Korea and entered Korea in June of that year. Meanwhile, starting in 2013, Mr. A continued to receive communications from the North Korean Security Agency saying: “If you want your family to be safe, please return to North Korea.” The Security Agency also asked Mr. A to gather information on other North Korean defectors.

After that, Mr. A decided to follow the instructions of the security officer and handed over information such as search data related to large national companies, personal information, and phone numbers of other North Korean defectors to the Security Agency, and then planned to return to North Korea.

First, Mr. A, who left for China, tried to return to North Korea with 81 million won from a lender and 6 million won from South Korea, but changed his mind about the ‘amount of loyalty ‘which he had to return to the Security Agency. Initially, Mr. A paid 50 million won to the Security Department and tried to buy a truck for North Korea with the remaining 30 million won, but the plan was changed as the Ministry of Security demanded 80 million won. After that, Mr. A canceled his trip to North Korea and entered Korea through the Incheon airport.

Judge Song condemned Mr. A’s actions as guilty, noting that “this is a case where there is an obvious risk of causing substantial harm to the existence and security of the state or to the basic free democratic order.” Furthermore, “in light of Mr. A’s age, career, social status and knowledge, and his preliminary history of escaping to North Korea, when he returns to North Korea, it is used for the maintenance of the North Korean regime, and predicted the possibility of meeting with its members. I contacted members of the group and tried to escape to North Korea. “

However, Judge Song said: “It appears that Mr. A was intimidated and inevitably led to the crime in this case. He said, “I decided on a prayer in consideration of my back.”