NK defectors arrested in Myanmar arrive in S. Korea: RFA

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- A group of North Korean defectors arrested in Myanmar
last year for illegally entering the country arrived in South Korea this week,
Radio Free Asia reported Saturday.

The 19 defectors -- 15 women and four men -- were apprehended in December of last
year by Myanmar authorities while en route to South Korea from China. They were
later released into Thailand.
Three departed from Thailand two weeks ago and the remaining 16 left the country
this week, the U.S.-based radio station said, citing an official working at a
defector relief agency in Thailand.
North Korean defectors are increasingly choosing Southeast Asia as an
intermediary route to South Korea in the face of strict border controls in China,
which classifies defectors as illegal economic migrants rather than refugees.
Roughly 14,000 North Korean defectors have settled in the South, which provides
limited financial support and rehabilitation training.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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