Latest news with #AhnHakSop
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
95-year-old former North Korean soldier in South campaigns to be sent to the North
A 95-year-old former North Korean soldier who spent decades imprisoned in the South will continue his campaign to return to the North, an activist said Thursday, after South Korean troops stopped his symbolic border march this week. Flanked by activists and holding a North Korean flag, Ahn Hak-sop walked toward an inter-Korean bridge in the border town of Paju on Wednesday, demanding that South Korean authorities arrange his repatriation to the North, when soldiers stopped him at a checkpoint. Ahn, who complained of knee pain during the incident, was taken to a hospital and is now recovering at his home in Gimpo, near the capital city of Seoul, activist Cha Eun-jeong said. Cha said she expects Ahn to join a weekend protest in Seoul calling for his return to North Korea. 'He said it felt good to have an opportunity to speak his mind in front of journalists,' even though he was turned back by the soldiers, Cha said. Ahn was born in what is now South Korea's border island of Ganghwa in 1930, when the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule. Japan's defeat in World War II liberated Korea, but the peninsula was then divided into a U.S.-backed, capitalist South and a Soviet-supported, socialist North — a separation cemented by the devastating 1950–53 Korean War. Ahn volunteered to fight for the North Korean army in 1952 but was captured by South Korean soldiers in April 1953, months before the fighting stopped with the armistice. He was imprisoned for 42 years before receiving a special presidential pardon in 1995. He had a chance to go to North Korea in 2000, when former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who pursued engagement with Pyongyang, repatriated 63 long-term unconverted prisoners following a historic summit with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Ahn then chose to stay, vowing to campaign until U.S. troops are withdrawn from the South. Ahn expressed a desire to go to North Korea in July, a decision that was influenced by his fragile health and concern that his time is running out, Cha said. South Korea's government said this month it has no immediate plans to push for the repatriation of the few remaining prisoners who desire to be sent to North Korea, and it's unclear whether the North would accept them. Relations between the Koreas have deteriorated in recent years, with North Korea virtually suspending all diplomacy and cooperation with the South after the collapse of its broader nuclear talks with Washington in 2019.
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
95-year-old former North Korean soldier in South campaigns to be sent to the North
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A 95-year-old former North Korean soldier who spent decades imprisoned in the South will continue his campaign to return to the North, an activist said Thursday, after South Korean troops stopped his symbolic border march this week. Flanked by activists and holding a North Korean flag, Ahn Hak-sop walked toward an inter-Korean bridge in the border town of Paju on Wednesday, demanding that South Korean authorities arrange his repatriation to the North, when soldiers stopped him at a checkpoint. Ahn, who complained of knee pain during the incident, was taken to a hospital and is now recovering at his home in Gimpo, near the capital city of Seoul, activist Cha Eun-jeong said. Cha said she expects Ahn to join a weekend protest in Seoul calling for his return to North Korea. 'He said it felt good to have an opportunity to speak his mind in front of journalists,' even though he was turned back by the soldiers, Cha said. Ahn was born in what is now South Korea's border island of Ganghwa in 1930, when the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule. Japan's defeat in World War II liberated Korea, but the peninsula was then divided into a U.S.-backed, capitalist South and a Soviet-supported, socialist North — a separation cemented by the devastating 1950–53 Korean War. Ahn volunteered to fight for the North Korean army in 1952 but was captured by South Korean soldiers in April 1953, months before the fighting stopped with the armistice. He was imprisoned for 42 years before receiving a special presidential pardon in 1995. He had a chance to go to North Korea in 2000, when former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who pursued engagement with Pyongyang, repatriated 63 long-term unconverted prisoners following a historic summit with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Ahn then chose to stay, vowing to campaign until U.S. troops are withdrawn from the South. Ahn expressed a desire to go to North Korea in July, a decision that was influenced by his fragile health and concern that his time is running out, Cha said. South Korea's government said this month it has no immediate plans to push for the repatriation of the few remaining prisoners who desire to be sent to North Korea, and it's unclear whether the North would accept them. Relations between the Koreas have deteriorated in recent years, with North Korea virtually suspending all diplomacy and cooperation with the South after the collapse of its broader nuclear talks with Washington in 2019.
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
95-year-old former North Korean soldier in South campaigns to be sent to the North
SEOUL, South Korea — A 95-year-old former North Korean soldier who spent decades imprisoned in the South will continue his campaign to return to the North, an activist said Thursday, after South Korean troops stopped his symbolic border march this week. Flanked by activists and holding a North Korean flag, Ahn Hak-sop walked toward an inter-Korean bridge in the border town of Paju on Wednesday, demanding that South Korean authorities arrange his repatriation to the North, when soldiers stopped him at a checkpoint.
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
This 95-year-old former prisoner of war wants to return to North Korea
This 95-year-old former prisoner of war wants to return to North Korea Captured during the Korean War and imprisoned for decades for refusing to renounce his political beliefs, 95-year-old Ahn Hak-sop now has a single dying wish: to return to North Korea and be buried alongside his comrades. CNN's Mike Valerio reports from outside the Korean Peninsula's Demilitarized Zone as Ahn tried to enter the North from the South. 01:40 - Source: CNN Vertical World News 11 videos This 95-year-old former prisoner of war wants to return to North Korea Captured during the Korean War and imprisoned for decades for refusing to renounce his political beliefs, 95-year-old Ahn Hak-sop now has a single dying wish: to return to North Korea and be buried alongside his comrades. CNN's Mike Valerio reports from outside the Korean Peninsula's Demilitarized Zone as Ahn tried to enter the North from the South. 01:40 - Source: CNN Zelensky prepares for White House meeting In the wake of the Alaska summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, European leaders joined Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky for a conference call ahead of the leader's meeting with the US president at the White House on Monday. 01:24 - Source: CNN Nationwide demonstrations across Israel demanding hostage deal A planned nationwide strike in Israel on Sunday saw hundreds of thousands take part to call on the government to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home. CNN's Oren Liebermann reports from Tel Aviv. 01:23 - Source: CNN Witkoff hopeful of trilateral meeting US envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN's Jake Tapper he believes a trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Vladimir Putin is possible. 00:39 - Source: CNN Canadian government orders end to Air Canada strike After more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike seeking wage increases and paid compensation for work when planes are on the ground, the Canada Industrial Relations Board has ordered them to return to work according to an announcement by Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu. 01:05 - Source: CNN Hong Kong's poorly housed bear the brunt of climate change Climate change is making Hong Kong's summers hotter. Yet tens of thousands of residents remain sardined into homes smaller than a parking space, where staying cool is a luxury few can afford as the climate warms. In small, enclosed spaces with little ventilation or cooling, indoor temperatures can soar past 100°F (37.7°C), posing serious health risks for the city's most vulnerable. 01:31 - Source: CNN London's toxic trash 'volcano' Arnolds Field landfill on Launders Lane in east London is better known to locals as the 'Rainham volcano.' The site was used as an illegal dump for years and now, every summer, it bursts into flames, sending plumes of acrid smoke over nearby homes, parks and schools. CNN's Laura Paddison speaks to residents who feel abandoned and trapped. 02:05 - Source: CNN Protesters condemn 'no deal' outcome of Trump-Putin talks Protesters in Alaska said they're not surprised that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't reach a deal on the war in Ukraine. 01:08 - Source: CNN Russian media reacts positively to Trump-Putin Summit Russian state TV gave a positive coverage of the outcome of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, celebrating the handshake between the two leaders. Russian officials also stated that the meeting resulted in progress on sanctions and opened up room for future negotiations. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports. 01:23 - Source: CNN Trump-Putin summit ends with no deal US President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin 'made some headway' and 'great progress' in their bilateral meeting, but added that 'there's no deal until there's a deal.' 01:15 - Source: CNN Putin makes faces as journalists ask about Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin did not respond to reporters' questions about the war in Ukraine as his meeting with President Donald Trump and top aides was set to begin. Putin appeared to make a confused expression as multiple journalists began shouting questions. 00:13 - Source: CNN
CNA
a day ago
- Politics
- CNA
Seoul blocks elderly ex-North Korean spy from going North: Civic group
SEOUL: An elderly North Korean ex-spy who spent decades in jail in the South and has pleaded to be sent to the North was prevented on Wednesday (Aug 20) from crossing the border by South Korean soldiers, a spokeswoman told AFP. Ahn Hak-sop, 95, is one of six elderly former North Korean soldiers and spies who have recently stepped up their demands that Seoul repatriate them to their ideological homeland. They were convicted in the South for anti-state activities and served decades behind bars for refusing to renounce communism. They have subsequently been released. Holding a North Korean flag, Ahn "walked a few hundred metres toward a military checkpoint and was stopped by personnel", a spokeswoman for a civic group campaigning for his return told AFP. Anh was taken to hospital. A photo carried by the Yonhap news agency showed Ahn holding the red-and-blue North Korean flag at the border - an act that could be punishable under Seoul's national security law. The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war. Ahn was captured during the Korean War in 1953 while on an infiltration mission and remained imprisoned until 1995, a lengthy term that could have ended earlier had he agreed to embrace democracy. The civic group representing Ahn and the five others argues they should be recognised as "prisoners of war" and that their repatriation requests must be respected under the Geneva Convention. "I am a prisoner of war who came here in a North Korean military uniform under orders from the Workers' Party," Ahn said in a 2024 interview with local outlet Ganghwa News. "But the South Korean government did not treat me as such, and I was forced to spend more than 40 years in prison, subjected to numerous tortures." The civic group told AFP it would continue to press for the men's return. North Korea has yet to comment on the case. Seoul's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, told AFP on Tuesday it was reviewing "various ways to address the issue". The ministry official added that more former convicts in similar situations were expected to demand repatriation, though the government had no precise figure on how many remain alive. In 2000, South Korea repatriated 63 "unconverted" former prisoners through the border truce village of Panmunjom during a brief period of rapprochement - the first and only such event to date.
