More on 3-time North Korean defector

[After defecting from North Korea, and arriving in the South via China and Mongolia] he worked at motels in Seoul but was disappointed with his life, the intelligence agency said. The man also missed his wife, whom he left in the North, the agency said. In October 2004, the man visited China with a tourist visa and smuggled himself back to the North by crossing the Tumen River again.

To re-enter, the man bribed North Korean security officials with money, cigarettes and a used bicycle, the intelligence service said. For eight months, the man lived with his wife, again working as a trader. He worried, however, about his mother and sister in the South.

Bribing the North Korean border guards again, he escaped to China in June 2005 and then returned to the South. While he was in the South, his wife gave birth to a daughter. In December 2005, the man went to the North again through China via the same route and met his newborn, the intelligence service said.

In September 2006, he went back to the South. This time, he guided his neighbors. The secret visits were uncovered, however, during questioning at the National Intelligence Service because the neighbors didn’t coordinate their story.

[Excerpt of an article by Ser Myo-ja, JoongAng Daily]