Five N. Korean defectors in Laos to be sent to S. Korea

SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- Five North Korean defectors are under protection of the South Korean embassy in Laos, a government official here said Tuesday.

"They will be brought to South Korea soon," a foreign ministry official said,
asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. It is customary for
the South Korean government to quietly handle issues pertaining to North Korean
defectors in consideration of their safety and Seoul's relations with Pyongyang.
The embassy learned earlier this month that three North Koreans were in the
custody of Laotian authorities and that one of them, a 27-year-old woman, died of
complications stemming from a brain disease during medical treatment at an
immigration camp there. Two other defectors, a couple in their 40s, were also
being treated in a local hospital.
"Embassy officials contacted them and confirmed their intention to settle in
South Korea," the official said. "We also found three other defectors in Laos who
also hope to come to South Korea."
A growing number of North Koreans are choosing to take the risky journey across
the border into China to evade hunger and harsh political oppression at home. And
given China's policy of repatriating defectors to the North, most head to Laos,
Thailand or other Southeast Asian nations before seeking asylum in South Korea.
Roughly 14,000 North Korean defectors have settled in the South, which provides
limited financial support and rehabilitation training.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)