A South Korean court on Monday rejected a request by a Pyongyang-born resident for a trial by jury in her National Security Act case, as she continues a yearslong push to return to North Korea and reunite with her family.

Kim Ryon-hui’s lawyer asked the Daegu District Court to grant a trial by her peers, arguing that her case should be treated as a humanitarian matter involving family separation, she told NK News on Tuesday.

The court rejected her appeal, noting that the same request had already been dismissed in 2023. Asked what the court’s rationale was in the