SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean authorities on Tuesday detained a North Korean boat carrying people believed to be seeking to defect from the isolated country, the military said.
Most North Korean escapees make their way through China and Southeast Asia, rather than attempting to cross the heavily guarded border between North and South Korea.
In 2019, South Korea deported two North Korean fishermen suspected of murdering 16 shipmates aboard their vessel while crossing the sea border.
This month, South Korea said it had protested to China over the suspected forced repatriation of a large number of North Koreans, who rights groups say face imprisonment and abuse at the hands of North Korean authorities.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said at the time there were no "so-called defectors" in China, when asked about a report Beijing had deported about 600 North Korean defectors.
Persons:
Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
Joint Chiefs, Staff, Koreans
Locations:
SEOUL, North Korean, South, Sokcho, North Koreans, China, Southeast Asia, North, South Korea, Beijing