DPRK repatriates ROK citizen via Panmunjom

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday repatriated a citizen from the Republic of Korea (ROK) through the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.

The 34-year-old ROK man, identified only by his surname Suh, was returned from the DPRK to the ROK via the border village at 11 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), Seoul's unification ministry said in a statement.

The DPRK's Red Cross informed the ROK Monday of its plan to repatriate Suh, who was caught on July 22 after illegally entering the DPRK. The ROK side replied Monday afternoon to accept the repatriation.

A soldier (rear) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) stands guard at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Paju, ROK. /Xinhua Photo‍

The unification ministry said the ROK positively assessed the DPRK's return of a ROK citizen from the humanitarian perspective.

Suh was reportedly under investigation over how and why he had illegally entered the DPRK.

The repatriation came amid the improving inter-Korean relations after ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un held their first summit meeting in Panmunjom on April 27.

Moon and Kim confirmed their joint goal of achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula via complete denuclearization, agreeing to stop all hostile acts to defuse military tensions on the peninsula.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency