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95-Year-Old Veteran's Heartfelt Plea to Return Home

8/22/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old former North Korean soldier, seeks to return to North Korea for burial.
He was denied entry to the Demilitarized Zone, causing him deep sorrow.
Ahn perceives South Korea as a U.S. colony and has maintained his beliefs despite 42 years of imprisonment.
His imprisonment involved torture and psychological pressure to renounce his ideology.
North Korea's halted communications hinder repatriation discussions.

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Story summary

Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old former North Korean soldier, seeks to return to North Korea for burial.
He was denied entry to the Demilitarized Zone, causing him deep sorrow.
Ahn perceives South Korea as a U.S. colony and has maintained his beliefs despite 42 years of imprisonment.
His imprisonment involved torture and psychological pressure to renounce his ideology.
North Korea's halted communications hinder repatriation discussions.