Convict served a 42-year sentence in this location; possible release plans suggest return to North Korea.
Former North Korean Soldier Seeks Repatriation After Four Decades in South Korean Prison
Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old former North Korean soldier and intelligence officer, was captured by South Korean forces in April 1953, three months before the Korean War Armistice Agreement. He spent the next 42 years in prison in South Korea, deemed a security threat due to his role and origins.
Now elderly and frail, Ahn Hak-sop has requested repatriation to North Korea to fulfill his wish to die and be buried there. South Korea's Ministry of Unification is currently reviewing the possibility of his repatriation.
During his imprisonment, Ahn Hak-sop was subjected to torture and repeated attempts to convert him from his communist beliefs. State officials tried to persuade him using his family between 1973 and 1995. Despite a chance for repatriation in 2000, Ahn chose to remain in South Korea.
The state-affiliated Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report revealed that prison officials recorded sounds from Ahn Hak-sop's family home to play for him as a form of torture. The commission also acknowledged severe human rights violations during the process of attempting to convert North Korean soldiers.
Tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers were not returned by North Korea, according to Pyongyang. However, most captured North Korean troops were repatriated under Operation Big Switch. Some were not due to their conversion to communism.
Recently, six North Koreans were sent back to North Korea after being picked up at sea by navy vessels from the communist state. The South Korean government has not received a response from North Korea regarding recent requests to repatriate North Koreans rescued at sea.
North Korea considers the US its greatest enemy and publicly demands the removal of US forces from the Korean Peninsula. Despite this, the possibility of Ahn Hak-sop's repatriation remains under review.
As Ahn Hak-sop continues to suffer from age-related health issues, his wish to be buried with his comrades in North Korea remains a poignant reminder of the complex history between the two Koreas.
- The complex history between the two Koreas, evidenced by the case of Ahn Hak-sop, a former North Korean soldier seeking repatriation after forty-two years in a South Korean prison, is intricately linked with war-and-conflicts and politics.
- The request for repatriation of Ahn Hak-sop, a former North Korean soldier, also raises questions about general-news regarding human rights violations, conversion attempts, and the ongoing tension between the two countries.
