North Korean defector left Hong Kong over weekend, not weeks ago as first reported
Student who went missing at maths competition given video games to pass the time in South Korean consulate, according to news agency FactWire
A North Korean defector left Hong Kong to seek refuge in South Korea over the weekend – not weeks ago as earlier reported – according to a news agency which captured the student’s life inside the South Korean consulate in the city before he left.
The news agency FactWire cited a source as saying that Jong Yol-ri played electronic games during his final days at the consulate, where he had sought refuge.
Images and video clips were taken by FactWire over several days in late August, contradicting previous reports that the 18-year-old student had safely arrived in a third country in the middle of that month.
The news agency quoted sources saying Jong left Hong Kong for South Korea over the weekend, capping a two-month stay in the city.
The South Korean consulate has never confirmed it was assisting Jong and did not respond to the Post’s inquiries on Wednesday.
The Hong Kong government also said it had no information to provide regarding the report.
The video clips showed Jong on multiple occasions standing at the window of a brightly-lit room inside the consulate, which is located at Far East Finance Centre in Admiralty.
In one clip, he is smiling and appears to be talking to someone. In others, he is shown eating, tidying up his clothes and cleaning his room. Another clip shows him hanging up a shirt as if he is preparing to wear it later.
The agency said Jong was provided with electronic games to help him pass the time.
He is the first North Korean known to defect in Hong Kong since the city’s handover to China in 1997.
During his stay here, both uniformed and plainclothes police were stationed at the consulate’s building in Admiralty.
The report, citing sources, said Jong was put in a conference room at the start of his stay, and was watched by South Korean officials round the clock, including during meal times and at bedtime.
He needed to leave the room to use a public toilet near the consulate’s visa department, meaning he was easily visible to consulate visitors.
An Jae-su, an official from the South Korean embassy in Beijing, reportedly came to Hong Kong in August to meet local security officials as well as Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff based in the city.
