Despite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s orders for a complete shutdown of the border with South Korea, an increasing number of North Koreans are defecting through southern routes, according to reports.
On October 11, military officials revealed that on September 17, a man believed to be a North Korean citizen sailed south on an unpowered wooden boat near Baengnyeong Island and successfully defected to South Korea.
This incident comes less than a month after a North Korean soldier defected by crossing the border on foot along the Eastern Front on August 20.
The man was alone on the boat when discovered, according to military sources. “The military secured the individual, believed to be from North Korea, and handed him over to the relevant authorities,” one official stated, adding that there were no unusual movements from North Korean forces.
The military had identified the wooden boat using surveillance equipment near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and monitored its movements before guiding the defector to a safe area in South Korean waters.
Earlier, during a National Assembly audit on October 10, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo confirmed that North Korea had completely blocked four inter-Korean routes by August this year.
He described this move as a measure to prevent external influences and stop internal defections. The North Korean People’s Army also declared plans to permanently seal the southern border by reinforcing fortifications along the frontier.
Despite these stringent measures, North Koreans continue to attempt defections via southern routes. On August 8, two men tried to defect near Gyodong Island in the neutral waters of the West Sea, but only one succeeded in reaching the South.
On August 20, a North Korean soldier defected through the heavily mined Eastern Front in Goseong, Gangwon Province, by walking through a minefield near the Donghae Line.
BY YUJUNG LEE, YOUNGNAM KIM [uuu@joongang.co.kr]
