By Anadolu staff
ANKARA (AA) - A South Korean court on Monday sentenced a North Korean defector to a two-year suspended jail term for trying to return to his home country in a stolen bus, local media reported.
The man, in his 30s, stole a bus from a garage in Paju, some 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) northwest of Seoul, and attempted to drive it across a bridge near the inter-Korean border in October, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
He was caught after ramming the bus into a barricade on the Tongil Bridge.
His sentence will remain suspended for three years.
"It does not appear that (the defendant) committed the crime with the political intention of praising or sympathizing with North Korea," Yonhap cited the Uijeongbu District Court ruling.
"It partially shows the reality faced by North Korean defectors who have settled in the Republic of Korea and is understood as a problem that the Republic of Korea must solve as it prepares for reunification," it added.
The man was found to have defected alone in 2011 and struggled to make a living.
His living condition further deteriorated after he injured his leg in 2018.
While longing for his family back home, he was forced to leave his apartment in September for failing to pay rent.
According to reports, the case of US soldier Travis King, who successfully crossed the border into North Korea in 2023, served as a key inspiration for his venture.
*Writing by Aamir Latif