Two out of 11 N Koreans hesitate to defect to S. Korea: gov't source

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- Nine of the 11 North Koreans who had arrived in South
Korea by boat a day earlier in an apparent defection attempt have identified
themselves as asylum seekers but the two others have yet to make their decision,
a government source said Friday.

The nine North Koreans who have expressed their intention to defect are believed
to be from one family, said the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The group, comprised of nine adults and two children, was taken to South Korea's
eastern port of Jumunjin after being spotted aboard a small wooden boat adrift in
the East Sea Thursday afternoon.
"Of the 11, nine have expressed their intentions to defect, but two others have
yet to decide whether to stay here, " the source said.
The two undecided North Koreans claim that they got on the boat by accident
without knowing where the vessel headed for, the source said.
Most North Koreans defect to South Korea via China. Defections via the tightly
guarded inter-Korean land and sea border are rare.
The alleged mass defections occurred at a sensitive time when North Korea is
reaching out to improve ties with South Korea's conservative government. The news
broke out as the two Koreas wrapped up a new round of unions for separated family
members, the first in nearly two years.
It was the first mass North Korean defection by sea in seven years. In 2002, 21
North Koreans defected to South Korea by boat across the western sea border.
More than 16,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the Korean War
ended in 1953, including about 2,800 alone in 2008.
ksnam@yna.co.kr
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