He Helped North Koreans Reach Freedom. Now He Wants South Korea’s Protection.
After two stints in Chinese prisons for helping North Koreans flee, Tu Airong is awaiting a final decision from Seoul on his asylum application
JEJU, South Korea—Tu Airong was smuggling goods over the China-Laos border when he agreed to do a favor for some ethnic Korean businessmen he had befriended over drinks and karaoke. Sure, he told them, he could sneak their relatives into Laos without papers.
“It was an accidental encounter,” the Chinese native said. “I didn’t know what the purpose was.”
That...