Forty-Nine North Koreans Defected to South Korea This Year - Ministry
Forty-nine North Koreans have defected to South Korea in the first nine months of this year, the South Korean unification ministry said Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2021) Forty-nine North Koreans have defected to South Korea in the first nine months of this year, the South Korean unification ministry said Friday.
More than a dozen moved to South Korea between July and September, the ministry said as cited by Yonhap news agency.
The number of defectors from North Korea has significantly decreased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as security was strengthened on the border, according to the news agency. Only five people defected from April to the end of June, which is the lowest figure since 2003.