Officials are concerned for the safety of a North Korean defector, who became a South Korean TV star, after reportedly appearing in a new propaganda video.
Lim Ji-hyun defected to South Korea in 2014 but has now reappeared in a video released by North Korean media saying she was forced to speak ill of the DPRK, according to reports.
While in the south, she was a prominent figure on television shows after her escape from the north. Officials believe she may have been abducted back by the North Koreans and forced to front propaganda videos slamming her treatment in the south.
In the video, the woman introduces herself as Jeon Hye-Sung, who returned to the north in June, however South Korean officials believe the woman is actually Ms Lim.
She claims she was lured to leave for a better life in the south and to "eat well and make lots of money".
"I felt really lonely in South Korea and I missed my parents," Ms Lim said according to the BBC.
She also appears alongside another defector, Kim Man-bok, who has also apparently returned to the north.
The 30 minute video, titled "The truth revealed by Jeon Hye-sung, who was used in the anti-DPRK propaganda" was released by Uriminzokkiri, a state-controlled North Korean news outlet based in China.
In North Korea, it is illegal for citizens to leave the country without permission.
China has a deal with the rogue state meaning any defectors found in China will be returned to the north.
Citizens can face lengthy prison terms with hard labour sentences or even execution if found guilty of defection.
Newshub.
