This Year, 48 North Korean Defectors Entered the Country

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] A total of 12 North Korean defectors entered South Korea in the third quarter of this year.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Unification announced that from July to September, 12 defectors entered the country, including 3 women and 9 men, and the total number of defectors who entered from the first to the third quarter of this year was 48.

Previously, 31 defectors entered in the first quarter and 5 in the second quarter, showing a significant decrease compared to the 195 defectors who entered from the first to the third quarter of last year.

North Korean defectors typically cross the border and stay in third countries such as Southeast Asia or China before entering South Korea, but the number of entrants has decreased due to border closures and movement restrictions caused by COVID-19.

It is estimated that most of the recently arrived North Korean defectors left North Korea before the border closure between North Korea and China.