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September 13th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Escapes are rare in North Korea, with heavy security at prisons and other
detainee camps.
Even if they managed to flee, escapees must make often treacherous journeys to
reach the border with China.
Those who manage to make it back to the South are often treated with
suspicion, and subjected to a rigorous screening programme to ensure they
are not operating as North Korean spies.
Thousands of fishermen are thought to have been captured by North Korea in the
60 years since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War; most have been allowed to
return, but more than 450 of them never did.
Mr Jeon is thought to be the only crewman of the boats to have successfully
escaped his captors.
South Korea has repeatedly urged North Korea to free the other remaining
abductees, but Pyongyang insists it is holding no one against their wishes.
The two nations have remained technically at war since 1953 because no peace
treaty was ever signed. There are no mail, telephone or email exchanges
between ordinary citizens across the heavily fortified border.
Many do not even know whether relatives are alive or dead.
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