SEOUL • Five North Koreans crossed into South Korean waters in a boat, sailing across a heavily guarded maritime border between the two nations in what appeared to be an attempt to flee the North, said South Korean coast guard officials..
SEOUL • Five North Koreans crossed into South Korean waters in a boat, sailing across a heavily guarded maritime border between the two nations in what appeared to be an attempt to flee the North, said South Korean coast guard officials.
The North Koreans – four men and one woman – indicated that they wanted to defect to the South when their boat was stopped by a South Korean coast guard patrol ship south of the maritime border and off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, the officials said.
Despite these initial indications, South Korean officials said a formal investigation was required before concluding that the North Koreans were indeed defectors.
“Investigators from relevant government agencies are currently interrogating them to determine whether the North Koreans want to defect and other details, ” said Mr Choi Su Jun, an officer with the coast guard in the city of Donghae on South Korea’s eastern coast.
The South Korean patrol ship first found the North Korean boat on Saturday evening and guided it to the nearby port of Mukho, Mr Choi said.
