Former NK restaurant owner defects to South

By Kang Hyun-kyung A North Korean who ran a North Korean restaurant in Nepal defected to South Korea recently with the help of two South Koreans living in Nepal, according to a Nepalese journalist. The Nepal-based journalist, Anil Giri, said the defector, identified only by his surname Yang, is believed to be already in the South. Yang fled Nepal on Nov. 20 after becoming heavily indebted to several Nepalese businessmen. The 40-year-old defected out of fear that he might be sent to a concentration camp if he returns to the North because his debt allegedly amounted to more than $100,000. In multiple email correspondences with The Korea Times, Giri, who had watched the case closely after the defector was reported to be missing on Nov. 20 in Nepal, disclosed details about Yang’s motives behind his defection to The Korea Times. The two South Koreans, identified as Choi and Seon, have been released after being questioned by the Nepalese authorities for their roles in helping Yang cross the Nepali-Indian border without a visa and other documents needed for entry into India. They were ordered to leave Nepal no later than Dec. 30. Choi, 53, has lived in Kathmandu by extending his tourist visa. He made his living by exporting honey to South Korea. Seon ran an organic vegetable business in Nepal. The two Koreans, who lived in Nepal with their Nepalese wives, helped Yang cross the border and seek asylum at the South Korean Embassy in New Delhi. How the two South Koreans came to know Yang has not been revealed but it seems they met in the North Korean restaurant in Kathmandu, named Kumkangsan, considered a popular venue for South Korean tourists. Yang went to Nepal in December 2009 and was in charge of the operation of the restaurant, which is located on the third floor of the Woodlands Business Complex in Durbar Marg, Kathmandu, for nine months. The Nepalese authorities suspected Yang of being a North Korean spy because North Koreans are not usually allowed to travel abroad freely. While in Nepal, Yang had severe financial difficulties and had to borrow money from local businesspeople. He rented the restaurant under an annually renewable contract. Immediately after Yang disappeared on Nov. 20, the North Korean Embassy in Kathmandu asked the Nepalese ministries of home affairs and foreign affairs to take measures to prosecute the two South Koreans for kidnapping. The Nepalese police arrested them after the immigration office confirmed that the two South Koreans helped Yang flee Nepal days after he went missing. The Nepalese authorities, who investigated the case, found that a man, who introduced himself as a third secretary from the North Korean Embassy to the owner of the building, intervened and settled the monetary dispute. The police quoted the two South Koreans as having testified during the interrogation that Yang felt high pressure for being responsible for business losses and was deeply concerned about his future. He was quoted as expressing worries that he might be sent to a concentration camp in North Korea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it couldn’t confirm whether Yang defected to South Korea, saying its policy is not to disclose any detailed information about North Korean defectors for safety reasons. [단독] 네팔에서 한식당 운영 북한인 귀순 네팔에서 한식당을 운영하던 북한 사람이 네팔에 사는 한국인 2명의 도움으로 최근 한국으로 귀순했다고 네팔의 한 언론인이 전했다. 네팔 언론인 아닐 지리씨는 양씨로만 신원이 알려진 이 북한 귀순자는 이미 한국에 와 있다고 밝혔다. 양씨는 여러 네팔 기업인들에게 큰 빚을 지고 지난 11월 20일 네팔을 탈출했다. 이 40세의 북한인은 그의 빚이 미화 10만 달러에 달하기 때문에 북한으로 돌아가게 되면 수용소로 보내질 것이라는 두려움으로 귀순을 했다고. 네팔에서 지난 11월20일 실종 신고된 양씨 경우를 가까이서 지켜본 지리씨는 여러 차례에 걸친 코리아 타임스와의 이메일 교신을 통해 양씨가 귀순하게 된 자세한 동기를 밝혔다.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr