Summits give aged North Korean spies hope of returning home
By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press
Published: May 23, 2018, 1:35pm
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Former North Korean spy Seo Ok-yeol, 89, who spent 29 years in a prison, speaks during an interview at his home in Gwangju, South Korea. After decades trapped in lives they didn’t want in South Korea, nearly 20 elderly former North Korean spies are hoping the recent thaw in tensions between their countries will pave the way for their long-awaited return home. (AP Photo/ Hyung-jin Kim) Photo Gallery
GWANGJU, South Korea — He’s spent nearly six decades trapped on enemy soil, surviving 29 years in a prison where he was tortured by South Korean guards before being released to a life of poverty and police surveillance. Now, 89 years old and bedridden with illness, former North Korean spy Seo Ok-yeol just wants to go home.
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