2 N. Koreans defect to South by sea

Two North Koreans defected to South Korea late last month after crossing the divided peninsula's East Sea on a barge, a government official said Monday.

South Korean soldiers found the two North Koreans on the wooden barge on June 26 in waters about 40 kilometers off the South's eastern port city of Sokcho, the official said.

They told the South Korean soldiers patrolling the sea that they wanted to defect, according to the official.

"They expressed their will to defect at the scene and were taken into a relevant institution," the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Defections by sea from the North are rare, but a total of seven North Koreans have defected to the South since Pyongyang's deadly torpedo attack on a Seoul warship in March.