EXCLUSIVE: North Korean defector jailed for spying says South crushed his dreams



Features EXCLUSIVE: North Korean defector jailed for spying says South crushed his dreams In exclusive letters from prison, man blackmailed by DPRK defends his actions as necessary to save family in country Ifang Bremer \| Sojin Jung September 14, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A young North Korean man in Oct. 2016 \| Image: NK News (edited) Ever since escaping from North Korea nearly two decades ago, Mr. Kim had led a comfortable life in Seoul. He enjoyed a successful career as a physical therapist. He was engaged to someone he loved. But the new life that Kim had built for himself in South Korea started crumbling down some four years ago, according to the defector and his lawyer, when Pyongyang spies contacted him and threatened to harm his family still in the North if he didn’t do what they said. Ever since escaping from North Korea nearly two decades ago, Mr. Kim had led a comfortable life in Seoul. He enjoyed a successful career as a physical therapist. He was engaged to someone he loved. But the new life that Kim had built for himself in South Korea started crumbling down some four years ago, according to the defector and his lawyer, when Pyongyang spies contacted him and threatened to harm his family still in the North if he didn’t do what they said. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

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EXCLUSIVE: North Korean defector jailed for spying says South crushed his dreams

In exclusive letters from prison, man blackmailed by DPRK defends his actions as necessary to save family in country

Ifang Bremer | Sojin Jung September 14, 2022

EXCLUSIVE: North Korean defector jailed for spying says South crushed his dreams

A young North Korean man in Oct. 2016 | Image: NK News (edited)

Ever since escaping from North Korea nearly two decades ago, Mr. Kim had led a comfortable life in Seoul. He enjoyed a successful career as a physical therapist. He was engaged to someone he loved.

But the new life that Kim had built for himself in South Korea started crumbling down some four years ago, according to the defector and his lawyer, when Pyongyang spies contacted him and threatened to harm his family still in the North if he didn’t do what they said.

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EXCLUSIVE: North Korean defector jailed for spying says South crushed his dreams

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