North’s Engineer Wishes To Return to North

On August 20, 2002, Lee Kyung-sung (33, chief engineer) reportedly expressed his wish for returning to North Korea during the investigation by the government authorities. Lee came to South Korea along with the family of Soon Chong-sik who fled North in his boat through the Yellow Sea to South. Now the authorities are

One government official said, “Lee wanted to return to North, saying, ‘In the North, I have my wife and young daughter. So I have to go back.’ But it is possible for Lee to give it a second thought and change his mind. His final position will be determined upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.” Lee himself does not seem determined. Once he said he would like to remain in South.

Accordingly, the government investigation team is scrutinizing the backgrounds of his coming to South with the Soon family. It is also investigating whether Lee was imprisoned and/or tied up during the navigation to South. One official of National Intelligence Service confirmed, “It is true that Lee was imprisoned during the navigation. But the details and backgrounds of the imprisonment will be found out through the investigation.”

But, in the press release, the Coastal Guard dismissed the imprisonment theory by saying, “Lee was not tied up. He was free among the other North refugees under the navigation room when our officers got onboard the ship. His hands and legs were free, too.” On the other hand, another police official indicated that Lee had to cooperate with Soon in fleeing to South against his will. The official said, “We are not sure about the imprisonment. But it is certain that Lee’s position is different from those of the others.” If Lee is found through the investigation determined to return to North, the government will contact North through Panmoonjum to discuss Lee’s matters, including the way of his returning.

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com