Imagine a ninety-five-year-old man, frail but determined, walking towards a heavily guarded border. He carried a flag from a place he still called home. All he wanted was to spend his last days there and be buried among his old comrades. This was Ahn Hak-seop, a former North Korean spy. South Korea, where he has lived for decades, stopped him cold. They refused his simple, final wish to cross back.
A spokesman for a group pushing for his return shared the story on August 20. Mr. Ahn had approached a military checkpoint. He held a North Korean flag. South Korean soldiers quickly stepped in. They stopped him and sent him to a hospital. Pictures from Yonhap News Agency showed him with the flag. Carrying such a flag near the border might break South Korea’s national security laws.
Mr. Ahn is one of six older people who faced long prison terms in South Korea. Their “anti-state activities” and refusal to give up communist beliefs kept them locked up. Even after their release, they kept asking to go back to North Korea. This has been a repeated request.
He was caught way back in 1953. This happened during an infiltration mission in the Korean War. He stayed in prison until 1995. His sentence could have ended sooner. He just needed to accept democracy. But he never did. He stood firm in his own beliefs.
A civic group works for Mr. Ahn and the five other older prisoners. They argue these men should be seen as “prisoners of war.” This status, they say, would grant them the right to return home under the Geneva Conventions. Mr. Ahn spoke to a local paper, Ganghwa News, in 2024. He said he came as a prisoner of war, wearing his uniform, following orders. He felt South Korea did not treat him that way. He also spoke of being held for over 40 years, facing much hardship.
The civic group plans to keep fighting for their return. So far, North Korea has not said anything about Mr. Ahn’s situation. South Korea’s Unification Ministry is looking at ways to handle the issue. They admit many other former prisoners are in similar situations. They might also ask to go back home. The exact number is not clear.
There is one past example of such a return. In 2000, South Korea sent 63 prisoners back to North Korea. These prisoners had also refused to give up their communist beliefs. This exchange happened at Panmunjom. It stands as the first and only time this has ever occurred.
(Source: AFP)