A former North Korean soldier who was held captive during the Korean War and served a 42-year prison sentence in South Korea for refusing to renounce his socialist beliefs made a failed attempt to return home to the North on Wednesday.

The 95-year-old Ahn Hak-sop, along with a local civic group, held a rally at Imjingang Station near the inter-Korean border around 10 a.m., before joining a march that began at the southern end of Tongil Bridge in a vehicle due to his advanced age.

Ahn and the group, however, received a warning from the military and were restricted from crossing the bridge upon arrival without advance authorization around 11:40 a.m.

Tongil Bridge is at the southern end of the civilian control line, and approval from the military is required to cross, while authorization from the United Nations Command is needed for entry to the Demilitarized Zone.

Speaking at the rally, Ahn claimed he endured years of disgrace and suffering, facing all kinds of humiliation, torture and violence, for refusing to renounce his beliefs, and that it would be unfair if he were to die and be buried in the South.

The group advocating Ahn’s repatriation urged Seoul to send him back, citing related provisions in the Geneva Conventions.

Amid a conciliatory inter-Korean mood during the tenure of former President Kim Dae-jung, South Korea repatriated 63 such “unconverted” long-term prisoners to North Korea via Panmunjeom in 2000.