95-Year-Old North Korean POW Seeks Homecoming Before Death

Ahn Hak-sop, 95, a former North Korean prisoner of war, recently made a poignant attempt to return to North Korea to die in his homeland, only to be turned away by the South Korean government. With a life steeped in the historical traumas of colonization and war, Ahn continues to be vocal about his beliefs regarding imperialism, identity, and the political landscape on the Korean Peninsula.

On a sweltering day this week, a notable crowd gathered at Imjingang Station, the last subway stop before the border with North Korea. The focal point of the gathering was 95-year-old Ahn Hak-sop, a former North Korean prisoner of war who made a pilgrimage to glimpse his homeland one final time. Ahn expressed a deep desire to be buried in North Korea after spending decades in South Korea, often feeling alienated from the land he inhabited. While he hoped to cross the border, government officials turned him away, citing a lack of necessary arrangements for his return.

Ahn, who suffers from pulmonary oedema, was unable to walk the full route to the Unification Bridge, but he managed to cover the last 200 meters on foot, flanked by supporters. With a North Korean flag in hand, an unusual sight in South Korea, he addressed reporters and volunteers, stating, "I just want my body to rest in a truly independent land."

Captured at the age of 23 during the Korean War, Ahn was held by the South Korean government and endured a long journey marked by incarceration and later struggles to assimilate into South Korean society. Labeled as a "redhead" due to his communist sympathies, he faced significant discrimination throughout his life and never truly felt at home despite establishing a family.

In the year 2000, he turned down an offer to return to the North, believing that current tensions and U.S. governance in South Korea made such a move impossible without compromising his principles. His unwavering conviction led him to believe that America's influence was the primary barrier to reunification, viewing it as a continuation of historical colonial oppression.

Ahn’s roots trace back to a childhood steeped in patriotism under Japanese colonial rule, which shapes his perspective on post-war developments and the current political climate on the Korean Peninsula. He denounces the notion of liberation post-1945 as merely transferring colonial power from Japan to the United States.

His wartime experiences included multiple opportunities to renounce his allegiance to the North, but Ahn resisted, enduring harrowing conditions in prison as a consequence. He recalls being tortured and humiliated, yet he found solace in never signing an oath that would signify his ideological conversion.

As North Korea has evolved under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, Ahn maintains his belief system, viewing the nation through a lens tinted by loyalty. He highlights that media portrayals often present a skewed image of North Korea, claiming that the country has prospered amidst numerous challenges.

Conversely, South Korea has transitioned into a powerful democracy compared to the impoverished military dictatorship it was during Ahn's upbringing. Throughout his years in the South, he has remained a staunch advocate against what he perceives to be continued American imperialism. "I lived under Japanese colonial rule all those years. But I don't want to be buried under [American] colonialism even in death," Ahn remarked, encapsulating his enduring resolve even as he faces his twilight years.