North Korean Defector Arrested for Bus Theft

A North Korean defector, who had been living in South Korea for over a decade, was arrested after attempting to drive a stolen bus back to North Korea. The defector, aged in his 30s, reportedly struggled to settle in the South and missed his family in the North, which led to his desperate attempt. He was caught after crashing the bus into a barricade on the Tongil Bridge near the demilitarized zone, a heavily secured area separating the two Koreas. This incident highlights the difficulties some defectors face in adapting to life in South Korea, where over 34,000 North Koreans have resettled since the end of the Korean War. Of these, only about 30 have attempted to return to the North in the past decade, pointing to both the challenges of resettlement and the rarity of such return attempts. The defector faces possible charges of vehicle theft and violations of national security laws.