Comments
More than 1,500 North Korean defectors arrived in South Korea last year despite Pyongyang’s crackdown on illegal migration, official said Monday.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry said 1,516 northerners settled in South Korea in 2013, up slightly from 1,502 in 2012, with women accounting for 76 per cent of the total, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The ministry said South Korea is now home to 26,124 North Koreans.
North Koreans cross the border into China to avoid chronic food shortages and harsh political oppression, it said.
Pyongyang has strengthened its patrol along the country’s porous border with China to arrest those who try to flee, according to South Korean officials.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.