By Kang Hyun-kyung
The number of North Korean defectors arriving in the South this year is the lowest in seven years, according to the Ministry of Unification Sunday.
The ministry said an average of 116 people a month came to South Korea from January to September, totaling 1,048.
If the trend continues, it said, the total number of "new settlers" referring to North Korean defectors this year will be about 1,400, the lowest since 2006.
Every year since 2006, South Korea has received more than 2,000 defectors.
Analysts say North Korea's tightened border control since Kim Jong-un assumed power after his father Kim Jong-il died of heart failure last December could be the main reason behind the drastic cut.
Earlier this year, the younger Kim warned of the consequences for North Koreans caught trying to escape the impoverished nation, threatening that three generations would face execution.
Since then, the level of border security between North Korea and China has increased.
China is showing few signs of stopping the repatriation of North Korean defectors, where appalling treatment awaits for them, reportedly also discouraging them from seeking a life outside the Stalinist state.
The number of North Korean defectors arriving in the South this year is the lowest in seven years, according to the Ministry of Unification Sunday.
The ministry said an average of 116 people a month came to South Korea from January to September, totaling 1,048.
If the trend continues, it said, the total number of "new settlers" referring to North Korean defectors this year will be about 1,400, the lowest since 2006.
Every year since 2006, South Korea has received more than 2,000 defectors.
Analysts say North Korea's tightened border control since Kim Jong-un assumed power after his father Kim Jong-il died of heart failure last December could be the main reason behind the drastic cut.
Earlier this year, the younger Kim warned of the consequences for North Koreans caught trying to escape the impoverished nation, threatening that three generations would face execution.
Since then, the level of border security between North Korea and China has increased.
China is showing few signs of stopping the repatriation of North Korean defectors, where appalling treatment awaits for them, reportedly also discouraging them from seeking a life outside the Stalinist state.
