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North Korea repatriates South Korean NYU student at Panmunjom

Joo has said he hoped to bring about better North-South relations through his actions, but he faces interrogations in South Korea for traveling to North Korea without government permission.

By Elizabeth Shim
South Korean New York University student Joo Won-moon was returned to South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom late Monday. Joo could be found in violation of Seoul's National Security Law. Photo courtesy of Republic of Korea Ministry of Unification
South Korean New York University student Joo Won-moon was returned to South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom late Monday. Joo could be found in violation of Seoul's National Security Law. Photo courtesy of Republic of Korea Ministry of Unification

SEOUL, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- North Korea repatriated a South Korean student from New York University at the truce village of Panmunjom late Monday.

Joo Won-moon, 21, who was detained in April, had given public testimony about his arrest and illegal entry, most recently in late September, when he said he hoped for leniency in a country that had met him in a "welcoming atmosphere."

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South Korea has repeatedly called for Joo's release, and on Monday it welcomed Pyongyang's decision to release him, The New York Times reported. But Joo is likely to face an interrogation on criminal charges of breaking Seoul's National Security Law, which bans trips to North Korea without government approval.

An unidentified Seoul official told Yonhap the interrogation could take several days, and if necessary the case could be transferred to national prosecutors for a judicial investigation.

Joo could be found in violation of Article 6, Clause 1 of the National Security Law, for infiltrating North Korea without permission, and Article 7, Clause 1, for "praising" the Pyongyang regime. For violation of the first clause, Joo could face up to 10 years imprisonment, and for the second a maximum seven-year prison sentence.

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Pyongyang has said Joo illegally crossed the Yalu River near Dandong, China, on April 22. Joo has said he had walked into North Korea without permission, hoping to bring about better North-South relations through his actions.

Kim Jong-bo, an attorney with Changjo Law Firm in Seoul, said in order for Joo to be convicted of violating the law, there must be evidence he had intended to endanger the "free democratic order" of South Korea, or was aware that he was breaking the law.

Joo is a South Korean citizen with permanent resident status in the United States.

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