SEOUL: At least 13 refugees from North Korea have been arrested in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming while they were trying to reach South Korea, media reports said yesterday.
Chinese police on Friday arrested the 13 who were trying to board a bus bound for an unidentified Southeast Asian nation, Yonhap news agency said.
It cited South Korean activists promoting human rights for North Korean refugees.
Dong-A Ilbo newspaper also reported the arrests but put the number at 15.
“Most North Korean defectors travel in a group of five at most when crossing the Chinese border to a Southeast Asian nation,” said one activist quoted by Yonhap.
“It appears that they were trying to save money for hiring brokers who could help them cross the border.”
A spokesman for the South’s unification ministry, which handles cross-border affairs, said Seoul was trying to verify the report.
Some 25,000 North Koreans have fled famine or repression at home.
AFP
