According to Yonhap:
The annual number of North Korean defectors seeking refuge in South Korea, which had been dropping since 2009, took an upturn in the first half of this year, government data showed Sunday.
A total of 717 defectors came to live in South Korea in the first half, slightly up from 710 a year ago, according to a tally by the Ministry of Unification.
North Korea defectors arriving in the South had increased annually to reach 2,929 in 2009, after topping 1,000 for the first time in 2001. But the sum has since dropped drastically with last year’s figure half the level of 2011’s 2,706.
But it was not until the second quarter of this year that the number took an upturn, according to the ministry.
“The number of defectors entering South Korea typically declines during winter season and rises again when weather gets warmer,” a ministry official said.
Here is additional coverage in the Daily NK:
According to figures released by the Ministry of Unification in Seoul on the 21st, 717 defectors entered South Korea in the first half of this year, compared with 710 in the same period last year. However, only 320 of the total number entered in the first quarter, marking a 10% decline year on year. This fact highlights the relative intensity of the second quarter increase.
…
Among defectors arriving in the first half of this year, 551, or 77%, were women. Last year’s figure for the same period stood at 73%.
Approximately 159 former North Koreans are in the USA.
Read the full story here:
N. Korean defectors in S. Korea on the rise
Yonhap
2013-7-21
