Two North Koreans defected to the South across the Yellow Sea on Saturday, a South Korean news report said, citing a government source.

"A small boat was spotted in waters off the north of Baengnyeong Island" near the inter-Korean border, the source told Yonhap news agency.

"They expressed willingness to defect," he said.

A Korea Coast Guard official said relevant authorities were investigating the case, declining to give details.

One of the men was initially identified as a soldier due to a misunderstanding and the government later corrected its statement to say they were both civilians, Yonhap said.

It is the first defection by any North Korean since a historic summit between the two Koreas which saw their leaders agree to pursue the denuclearisation of the peninsula and a permanent peace.

In November last year, a North Korean soldier drove to the heavily guarded border at speed and ran across under a hail of bullets from his own side.

He was hit multiple times in the dramatic defection at Panmunjom truce village.

In 2012 a North Korean soldier walked unchecked through rows of electrified fencing and surveillance cameras, prompting Seoul to sack three field commanders for a security lapse.

In June last year, two of four crew members on a North Korean fishing boat which drifted to the South refused to return home and they were allowed resettle in the South.

A month later, five North Koreans in another small boat crossed the sea border into South Korean waters and expressed their wish to live in the South.

More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have fled their homeland but it is very rare for them to cross the closely guarded inter-Korean border, which is fortified with minefields and barbed wire.

Most flee across the porous frontier with neighbouring China.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Denuclearization, sanctions, peace: issues facing Trump-Kim summit
Washington (AFP) May 17, 2018
If it actually takes place, the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump - currently slated for June 12 - will focus on the "denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula. But what that phrase actually means to both sides may differ widely, as will the price each one is willing to pay to get there. - 'A nuclear-free peninsula' - The North Korean leader surprised the world in early March when he said he was ready to discuss with the United States - ... read more