SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A 95-year-old former North Korean soldier, Ahn Hak-sop, who has spent decades imprisoned in South Korea, is continuing his campaign to return to North Korea. This announcement came after South Korean troops halted his symbolic march toward the border earlier this week. Ahn was accompanied by activists and was holding a North Korean flag during his attempt to cross an inter-Korean bridge in Paju on Wednesday, where he demanded that South Korean officials facilitate his repatriation to the North.
During the incident at a checkpoint, Ahn experienced knee pain and was subsequently taken to a hospital. He is currently recovering at his home in Gimpo, a city near Seoul. Activist Cha Eun-jeong reported that Ahn expressed his willingness to participate in a protest planned for the upcoming weekend in Seoul, aimed at advocating for his return to North Korea. Despite being stopped by soldiers, Ahn reportedly felt satisfied to have the opportunity to express his thoughts in front of journalists.
Ahn Hak-sop was born in 1930 on Ganghwa Island, which is now part of South Korea. At the time of his birth, the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule. The end of World War II led to the liberation of Korea, but it also resulted in the division of the peninsula into a U.S.-backed, capitalist South and a Soviet-supported, socialist North. This separation was solidified by the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, which ended in an armistice but no peace treaty.
In 1952, Ahn volunteered to serve in the North Korean army but was captured by South Korean forces in April 1953, just months before the armistice was signed. He spent 42 years imprisoned before receiving a special presidential pardon in 1995. In 2000, Ahn had an opportunity to go to North Korea along with 63 long-term prisoners, as part of a repatriation effort initiated by former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, following a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Ahn chose to remain in the South at that time, on the condition that he would continue his campaign until U.S. troops were withdrawn from South Korea.
Recently, Ahn expressed a renewed desire to return to North Korea, a decision influenced by his deteriorating health and the urgency he feels regarding his life expectancy. The government of South Korea noted this month that it does not have any immediate plans to facilitate the repatriation of the small number of remaining prisoners, including Ahn, who are still interested in going to North Korea. The future of potential repatriation remains uncertain, particularly as inter-Korean relations have sharply declined in recent years. North Korea has all but suspended diplomatic engagement and cooperative efforts with the South, particularly following the failure of denuclearization talks with the United States in 2019.
