[2] From 1973 to 1983, he served in the Korean People's Army as part of the presidential security service, rising to the rank of master sergeant; following his discharge, he began working at performing arts centre run by the military.
[1] In January 1998, Son took his wife and daughter and fled North Korea, joining his brother in Yanji, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Region in northeast China's Jilin province.
He was arrested by Chinese police and deported back to North Korea in January 2001, where his brother says he suffered electrical shocks and beatings with clubs, causing a limp in his leg and the loss of 32 kilograms (71 lb) of body weight.
[1] Son did not remain in China for long; he soon returned to North Korea with Bibles and cassette tapes in an effort to proselytise people in his home country.
[2] Christian Solidarity Worldwide also planned a protest in front of the North Korean embassy in London around the same time as Son's brother submitted his petition.