North Korean defector 'abducted' and returned home as Seoul police investigate

Lim Ji-hyeon had escaped to China and appeared on cable TV in neighbouring South to discuss experiences under Kim Jong-un regime before reappearance in Pyongyang

Lim Ji-hyun appearing in a North Korean propaganda video posted online in which she insists she returned voluntarily (Uriminzokkiri/YouTube)

South Korean police are investigating how a North Korean woman who defected and appeared on cable television shows in South Korea ended up back in the North.

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the woman who was known as Lim Ji-hyeon in South Korea left the country earlier this year for China.

The official says police will try to determine whether the woman returned to the North willingly or was abducted.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules.

The police official also said Lim is clearly the same woman who appeared in a North Korean propaganda video on Sunday.

The woman said was living with her parents again after returning to the North in June and described her life in the South as hellish.

Associated Press