DPRK arrivals in the ROK down in 2012

UPDATE (2012-8-3): Although just a month has passed since we received information on the number of North Koreans entering the ROK. According to the Choson Ilbo:

The number of North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea in the first half of this year dropped to half that of the same period last year. According to the Unification Ministry on Thursday, 751 defectors arrived from January to June, down 45.4 percent from 1,375 on-year.

The number of defectors arriving here mostly rose every year since 2001, when it first exceeded 1,000. The figure only dropped in 2005, by 27 percent, and in 2010, by 19 percent. But this is the first time that the number has fallen so drastically

ORIGINAL POST (2012-7-1): According to a report in Yonhap:

The number of North Korean defectors to South Korea tumbled 43 percent in the first five months of 2012 from a year earlier due to increased security along the North Korea-China border, the Seoul government said Sunday.

A total of 610 North Korean defectors arrived in South Korea in the January-May period, down 42.6 percent from the same period last year, according to data from the Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.

The number of arrivals in the January-May period last year reached 1,062, with the full-year total rising to 2,706.

January recorded the largest number of arrivals this year at 160, while February recorded the smallest number at 90, the ministry said. Last year, the number of monthly arrivals surpassed 200 in nine out of 12 months.

There are now more than 23,500 individuals of North Korean origin in the ROK.

Question to ponder: Does a decrease in emigration from the DPRK promote stability or instability for the North Korean system?

Previous posts on this topic here.

Read the full story here:
N. Korean defector arrivals drop 43 pct this year
Yonhap
2012-7-1

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