A South Korea-residing North Korean refugee allegedly pilfered a bus and attempted to traverse the border, according to law enforcement authorities.
The person driving around for approximately 800 meters on the Tongil Bridge, the final spot where civilians can pass without a special permit, collided with barricades, as per South Korea's Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police, according to CNN.
This area is protected by a significant military presence due to its proximity to the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas, one of the most secured frontiers globally.
Since relocating to South Korea in 2011, the 35-year-old man had been juggling daily jobs with no permanent residence.
He confessed to the police that he yearned for his family in North Korea.
"He's been living alone in South Korea and battled financial difficulties," police told CNN.
"He failed to establish roots in the South and has always felt a longing for his kin in North Korea," they added.
This incident is an anomaly. Nearly 34,000 North Korean defectors have settled in South Korea since the Korean War ended in 1953, according to official records.
In the past decade, about 30 individuals have chosen to go back home.
Defectors and advocates argue that the existence of such instances highlights the challenges North Korean defectors face in integrating into South Korean society.
The unnamed suspect is being examined for potential charges such as stolen vehicle, driving without a valid license, violating military base protection, and infringing upon the National Security Law, police stated.
Video footage from local police reveals an individual dressed in shorts and a hoodie wandering near stationary buses. He inspects a couple of buses before the headlights of one illuminate. Afterward, he drives away with the bus.
This isn't the first attempt by a North Korean defector to traverse this bridge to return to their homeland, according to the police.
In recent years, there have been at least three similar unsuccessful attempts, though this is the first instance involving a stolen vehicle.
Last September, a woman in her 60s tried crossing the bridge on foot but was apprehended.
In August 2018, a man in his 30s drove a car across the bridge, bypassing checkpoints, but was ultimately apprehended by forces in the Joint Security Area, the section of the DMZ where North and South Korean troops stand face to face.
The man had previously crossed into North Korea through China but was sent back by North Korean authorities.
CNN's Lex Harvey contributed to the reporting.
The longing for his family in North Korea led the man to consider returning to Asia, his homeland divided by the heavily fortified border. Despite numerous attempts, this incident marks the first time a North Korean defector has successfully stolen a vehicle to traverse the Tongil Bridge, aiming to reunite with their world in the northern part of Asia.
