Two North Koreans who recently came to South Korea down the east coast of the peninsula will not be returned to North Korea, the government revealed today.
The Ministry of Unification confirmed the news, stating, “The two North Korean citizens who came to South Korea on the 4th made clear their intention to defect while under investigation by the agencies concerned. Accordingly, we sent notification to the North this morning in the name of the Korea National Red Cross stating that we will deal with the issue in accordance with their free will.”
Noting an October 5th demand from North Korea that the two be returned, the ministry continued, “Both the North Korean citizens that came to our side hoped to defect, and so we shall respect their free will in dealing with them.”
According to South Korean authorities, the two, who are brothers, were picked up from a 2-ton wooden vessel at 7:54AM on October 4th off the coast of South Korean Gangwon Province. They are currently under investigation and, all being well, will move to Hanawon, the resettlement center for defectors south of Seoul, in due course.
