N. Korean who fled China jail recaptured

BEIJING • The Chinese police have captured a North Korean prisoner who staged a daring escape from jail last month and was on the run for more than 40 days, the authorities said yesterday.

Officials in north-east China offered a US$23,000 (S$31,500) bounty for the recapture of the escapee, in a manhunt that sparked massive interest on social media.

The 39-year-old prisoner, identified by the Chinese name Zhu Xianjian, was jailed in China after fleeing reclusive North Korea.

He escaped the prison facility in Jilin city on Oct 18 by scaling a shed and vaulting the outer wall, and managed to stay at large before being captured yesterday.

A statement from the Jilin police said he was remanded at about 10am, without giving more details.

Videos shared by state-run Beijing News showed an emaciated-looking man being carried by officers, while a photograph showed him then lying on the ground with his hands behind his back.

Zhu was convicted of illegal entry into China, larceny and robbery, and was due for release and deportation back to North Korea in 2023, prompting online speculation that he broke out to avoid being sent back. He illegally crossed a river separating North Korea and China in 2013.

He then raided several houses in a nearby village, stealing money, mobile phones and clothes, court records show. He also stabbed an old woman who discovered him, and tried to flee in a taxi before being arrested by the police.

Human Rights Watch said in a July report that at least 1,100 North Koreans are detained in China, Pyongyang's main ally and economic benefactor. Many face deportation back to their home country upon release, where they may suffer torture and other rights violations, according to the non-governmental organisation.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE