DPRK repatriates ROK citizen via Panmunjom

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday repatriated a citizen of the Republic of Korea (ROK) through the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.

The 34-year-old ROK citizen, identified only by a surname Suh, was returned from the DPRK to the ROK via the border village at 11:00 am local time, Seoul's unification ministry said in a statement.

The DPRK's Red Cross informed the ROK Monday of its plan to repatriate Suh, who was caught on July 22 after illegally entering the DPRK. The ROK side replied Monday afternoon to accept the repatriation.

The unification ministry said the ROK positively assessed the DPRK's return of a citizen of the ROK from the humanitarian perspective.

Suh was reportedly under investigation over how and why he had illegally entered the DPRK.

The repatriation came amid the improving inter-Korean relations after the ROK's President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un held their first summit meeting in Panmunjom on April 27.

Moon and Kim confirmed their joint goal of achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula via complete denuclearization, agreeing to stop all hostile acts to defuse military tensions on the peninsula.