It took 1,024 days. Yoo Woo-seong, who had been charged with espionage, finally was declared innocent by the Supreme Court on October 29. Months after the final verdict, Yoo remains unsure of what he will do next and, based on his experiences, is still fearful of reprisals.

"They harassed me for three years, and nobody apologized to me. Every hardship that my family and I underwent ended with the short phrase ‘dismiss the (prosecution’s) appeal,’” Yoo told NK News.