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Thirteen North Koreans defect from overseas restaurant | Thirteen North Koreans defect from overseas restaurant |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Thirteen North Koreans working at the same restaurant abroad have defected to South Korea, Seoul officials say. | Thirteen North Koreans working at the same restaurant abroad have defected to South Korea, Seoul officials say. |
People have defected from North Korean restaurants overseas before but this is the first mass escape from the same one, a South Korean official said. | People have defected from North Korean restaurants overseas before but this is the first mass escape from the same one, a South Korean official said. |
Overseas North Korean workers are usually thought to be chosen largely because of their loyalty. | Overseas North Korean workers are usually thought to be chosen largely because of their loyalty. |
North Korean defections are a bitter point of contention between the two Koreas. | North Korean defections are a bitter point of contention between the two Koreas. |
Pyongyang has accused Seoul of enticing North Korean citizens to defect, something Seoul denies. | Pyongyang has accused Seoul of enticing North Korean citizens to defect, something Seoul denies. |
Suicidal defectors - Korea's hidden problem | |
Defectors who want to return home | |
South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon Hee said one man and 12 women arrived in the South on Thursday. | South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon Hee said one man and 12 women arrived in the South on Thursday. |
Mr Jeong did not reveal where they were working to avoid causing diplomatic rifts or endangering North Koreans still working in the country. | Mr Jeong did not reveal where they were working to avoid causing diplomatic rifts or endangering North Koreans still working in the country. |
The defectors said they learned about the South by watching South Korean TV dramas online and began to distrust North Korean propaganda, Mr Jeong said. | The defectors said they learned about the South by watching South Korean TV dramas online and began to distrust North Korean propaganda, Mr Jeong said. |
The Unification Ministry's website says more than 29,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea as of March. | The Unification Ministry's website says more than 29,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea as of March. |