South Korean officials said Monday that a North Korean defector who came south in 2017 had returned north.
The New York Times reported that the 24-year-old unidentified man, referred to only by his last name, Kim, had crossed a strait into the northern part of Ganghwa Island, the same area he was believed to be in. used. He entered South Korea in 2017 after his initial defection.
“We saw the specific location from which he crossed north on Ganghwa Island,” said a South Korean military officer.
Their fate in the north remains unknown; Deserters are often sent to political prison camps in North Korea if they are repatriated, and North Korean authorities had said Sunday that the man was also thought to be carrying the coronavirus, although South Korean authorities told the Times there was no evidence of that had been tested or in contact with infected people.
North Korea has officially stated that it does not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its borders, a claim questioned by international experts due to the great northern border with China, where the pandemic is believed to have originated.
He is believed to be originally from Kaesong, North Korea, which has since been locked up by North Korean officials as a result of his alleged return.
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