Number of N. Korean defectors entering S. Korea nearly doubles on-quarter in Q2
Hana Clinic in Hanawon in Anseong, south of Seoul, is seen in this July 10 photo. YonhapThe number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea reached 65 in the April-June period, nearly doubling from 34 three months earlier, government data showed Tuesday, in an apparent rise after China eased its strict COVID-19 restrictions. After escaping the North, 18 men and 47 women reached South Korea in the second quarter, bringing the total number of the North's defectors to 33,981, according to data from Seoul's unification ministry.The latest data showed the total number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea in the first half came in at 99, up nearly fivefold from 19 in the same period last year."This seems to result from how movement (restrictions) within China and abroad have eased," a ministry official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.While the number of defectors who entered the South from a third country was overwhelmingly higher, there were still "a certain" number of defectors who arrived here directly from the North, the official said.In May, a group
Jul 18, 2023