After decades in jail, six elderly ex-spies ask to defect to North Korea

AI Summary

Six elderly men, former prisoners in South Korea convicted of spying for North Korea, have requested repatriation to the North. Aged between 80 and 96, they served lengthy sentences without renouncing their communist beliefs. A civic group supporting them argues they should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention. South Korea's Unification Ministry has confirmed the request and is considering how to respond. This follows President Lee Jae Myung's efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, despite recent negative comments from North Korea.