North Korean fugitive recaptured in China after more than 40 days on the run
- Prisoner broke out of jail in Jilin City just two years short of completing his 11-year sentence for illegal entry into China, larceny and robbery
- Police say he was taken back into custody on Sunday morning
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Chinese police have captured a North Korean prisoner who staged a daring escape from jail in October and had been on the run for more than 40 days, authorities said on Sunday.
The 39-year-old prisoner, identified by the Chinese name Zhu Xianjian, was jailed in China after fleeing reclusive North Korea.
He escaped the facility in Jilin City by scaling a shed and vaulting the outer wall on October 18, and managed to stay at large before being captured on Sunday.
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A one-line statement from Jilin police said he was apprehended at about 10am, without giving more details.
Videos shared by state-run Beijing News showed an emaciated-looking man being carried by several officers, with a photograph of 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 to the North in 2023, prompting online speculation that he broke out to avoid being sent back.
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He also stabbed an elderly woman who discovered him and tried to flee in a taxi before being arrested by police.
Human Rights Watch said in a July report that at least 1,100 North Koreans were detained in China, Pyongyang’s main ally and economic benefactor.
Many face deportation to their home country upon release, where they may suffer torture and other rights violations, according to the NGO.
