SEOUL: A South Korean man has escaped four decades after he was kidnapped by North Korea while fishing near the disputed Yellow Sea border, officials said yesterday.
The 68-year-old Jeon Wook-Pyo made it to Seoul after escaping in early August, a government official said. “He is under investigation by security authorities.”
Jeon was among 25 fishermen aboard two boats seized by a North Korean navy ship on December 28, 1972. Details about his fellow crewmen are unknown. An activist group said earlier that Jeon had stayed in an undisclosed third country -- most likely China -- after fleeing the North on August 11.
He then sent a letter to South Korean President Park Geun-Hye seeking assistance, saying he wanted to spend his remaining days in his hometown, the group said. AFP
