'Long live great leader!' shouts engineer at Panmunjeom line

South Korea on Wednesday repatriated a North Korean man who alleged that he was forced to come to the South by a group of defectors.

Lee Gyeong-seong, 32, walked across the border between the two Koreas at about 4 p.m., passing through the truce village of Panmunjeom inside the Demilitarized Zone. "Long live the great leader!" Mr. Lee shouted in tears immediately after stepping on North Korean soil. Dressed in gray pants and a white shirt provided by the South Korean government, Mr. Lee carried a small bag of belongings.

Mr. Lee was the engineer of a boat that carried 20 North Koreans of two families to the South. The defectors entered South Korean waters Sunday night and reached Incheon Monday after a two-day voyage.

According to the National Intelligence Service, Mr. Lee said he wanted to return to North Korea, where he has a family. He told government debriefers that he had been forced into an engine room by the defectors and traveled unwillingly to the South.

North Korea's Red Cross had telephoned its South Korean counterpart earlier the day and urged Mr. Lee's immediate repatriation. "We urge you to immediately and unconditionally return Lee Gyeong-seong to where his family is," the North said.

After confirming his desire to return, South Korean Red Cross officials and Mr. Lee arrived at the truce village in the afternoon. Mr. Lee crossed the border an hour later. "I am happy to go back to my hometown where my family is," he said. "I miss my parents in North Korea." Ten North Korean officials welcomed him across the line.

by Ko Soo-suk