South Korean prisoner of war Jeon Yong-il, 72, who was arrested by Chinese security agents for using a fake passport while trying to escape from North Korea, set foot once again in his motherland when he arrived at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday at 4:18 PM. Jeon spent 41 days in Chinese detention.
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South Korean POW Jeon Yong-il waves with his companion at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. Jeon was arrested in China in early November while attempting to escape North Korea, and tried to enter South Korea with a fake passport.
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Jeon started his trip home this morning when he boarded an Air China flight from Yenji, China.
Since the return of 2nd Lt. Cho Chang-ho in October 1994, 33 South Korean POWs have managed to escape from the North and return to South Korea.
Jeon, who disappeared in August 1953 during the Korean War, escaped from North Korea last June after spending nearly 50 years in the country. At first, he tried to return home through the South Korean Embassy in Beijing, but he was disappointed by the lukewarm response he received from embassy personnel. He then decided to try entering South Korea on his own with a fake passport, but he was arrested on November 13 by Chinese security personnel in Hangzhou Airport.
Once arrested, Jeon was transferred to a detention center on the Tumen River, which partially forms the border between China and North Korea. After Jeon was confirmed to be a South Korean POW, however, domestic and international opinion opposing his repatriation to the North began to mount, and he was moved to a ¡°third place¡± for investigation. The Foreign Ministry and other government agencies then engaged in exasperating discussions with the Chinese government seeking Jeon¡¯s return.
In Jeon¡¯s case, some form of punishment was unavoidable since he violated Chinese law by trying to leave the country with a fake passport. Through the diplomatic efforts of the Korean government, however, China agreed to hand Jeon¡¯s case in an informal, summary manner, and he won his repatriation to South Korea.
As a POW, Jeon is expected to receive a pension check of W370 million and a guaranteed place of residence in accordance with national legislation dealing with the treatment of returning prisoners of war.
Jeon, who was born Yeongcheon, North Kyeongsang Province, has four living family members, including his sister Cheon Yeon-ok, 78, in Taegu.
(Chosun.com, internetnews@chosun.com )
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