24-10-2023 (SEOUL) Four North Koreans were discovered in a small wooden boat in South Korean waters on Tuesday, raising the possibility of a rare case of North Koreans attempting a perilous sea voyage to escape to South Korea, according to officials in Seoul.
Since the late 1990s, more than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to escape poverty and political oppression. The vast majority of these defectors have used a route through China and then Southeast Asian countries, making defection by sea a relatively uncommon and riskier choice.
A South Korean coast guard vessel located the boat south of the eastern sea border between the two Koreas on Tuesday morning, following a report from a fishing boat. The four individuals on board identified themselves as North Koreans, as reported by coast guard officials.
South Korea’s military confirmed that it had taken custody of the North Koreans in coordination with the coast guard after pursuing their boat along the sea border. A military statement noted that the North Koreans were suspected of defecting to South Korea, but provided no further details.
South Korean public broadcaster KBS, citing an unidentified government official, reported that the four North Koreans, comprising one man and three women, were members of the same family. KBS stated that they were not armed and were not wearing military uniforms when discovered.
The South Korean Unification Ministry declined to disclose personal details of the individuals, stating that an investigation was underway.
Defecting by sea is notably riskier, with many North Korean escapees believed to have perished when their boats sank in adverse weather conditions.
Nevertheless, some still choose this route as they can defect as a group, and it takes considerably less time compared to the China-Southeast Asian route, which typically spans weeks or months before arriving in South Korea, as explained by Ahn Kyung-su, the head of DPRKHEALTH.ORG, a website focusing on health issues in North Korea.
Ahn, who has interviewed numerous defectors, mentioned that North Koreans frequently cross the border into China alone or in pairs without sharing their escape plans with anyone, including family members, due to fears of arrests. He speculated that the four North Koreans discovered on Tuesday likely hailed from the same family and had left a coastal town relatively close to the South Korean sea border the previous day.
If their status as genuine defectors is confirmed, it would mark the second case of North Koreans fleeing to the South by sea this year. In May, nine individuals defected by sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
North Korean defectors undergo questioning by South Korean authorities to assess the authenticity of their desire to resettle in the South.
In 2019, South Korea deported two North Korean fishermen who expressed their intention to resettle in the South, after determining that they were criminals responsible for the murder of 16 fellow crew members. Prior to that, several North Koreans were arrested following South Korean investigations, which concluded they were spies who had entered the country under the guise of defectors.
The 2019 deportation elicited strong criticism from human rights organizations, who argued that South Korea’s liberal government at the time had hastily expelled the fishermen in an attempt to improve relations with North Korea, after learning that North Korean authorities were pursuing them.
North Korea’s state media has not yet reported on the discovery of the four North Koreans. Past defections have at times ignited tensions between the two Koreas, with North Korea often claiming that its people are held against their will in the South and demanding their return.
Tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea conducting a series of missile tests since last year. South Korea’s current conservative government has expanded regular military exercises with the United States in response to these developments.
