95-year-old soldier demands return to North Korea
- Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old former soldier, has been campaigning for his return to North Korea after decades of imprisonment in South Korea.
- During a symbolic march toward the border, South Korean troops halted him, resulting in Ahn requiring medical care.
- Despite challenges, he continues to express his desire to return home, influenced by his health concerns and the emotional ties to his homeland.
In South Korea, a 95-year-old former soldier has taken a stand to campaign for his return to North Korea. Ahn Hak-sop, who had spent decades imprisoned in the South, attempted a symbolic march toward the inter-Korean bridge in Paju on August 20, 2025, supported by fellow activists and brandishing a North Korean flag. However, this event was interrupted when South Korean troops stopped him at a checkpoint, preventing his progress and forcing him to seek medical attention due to knee pain. Ahn has since been recovering at home in Gimpo, near Seoul. Ahn Hak-sop's intentions trace back to his early life — he was born on Ganghwa Island in 1930 during Japanese colonial rule over Korea. Following Japan's defeat in World War II, Korea was divided into North and South along ideological lines. In 1952, at the height of the Korean War, Ahn volunteered for the North Korean army but was captured by South Korean forces in April 1953, just months before the armistice that formally ended active combat. His imprisonment lasted 42 years, only ceasing with a presidential pardon in 1995. In a rare opportunity in 2000, under then-President Kim Dae-jung's administration, Ahn had the chance to return to North Korea, along with other long-term prisoners. However, he chose to remain in the South, driven by a campaign to advocate for the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed there and to eventually be able to return to his homeland. As Ahn approaches a century of life, he has expressed a pressing desire to go to North Korea, influenced significantly by his deteriorating health. Activist Cha Eun-jeong, who is part of the movement supporting Ahn’s repatriation, indicated that his decision is motivated by his concern about the limited time he has left. His most recent attempt to reach North Korea reflects the deep emotional and psychological tug of war faced by many former prisoners of war who long for home, even when home signifies a communist regime that many would consider oppressive. This campaign ties into a broader narrative of those in South Korea — including Ahn and at least five others — who wish to return to North Korea to obtain peace in their final days.