South Korea Reports Huge Rise In Defectors From The North -- The Guardian
Last three years brings 10,000 refugees from North Korea – as many as in the previous half-century.
The number of North Koreans defecting to the South has soared in the past few years, Seoul's unification ministry announced today.
Officials said around 10,000 had arrived since 2007: roughly equivalent to the total for the previous half-century after the 1950-53 Korean war.
The border between the South and North is heavily fortified and almost all defectors travel via China, where they risk repatriation because Beijing regards them as illegal economic migrants. About 2,500 defectors arrived in the South in 2007 and more than 2,900 defected last year.
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More News On The North Korean Exodus
Number of NKorean defectors to SKorea tops 20,000 -- AP
North Korea Defections on Rise, South Says -- New York Times
Ms. Kim is Free! Defector #20,000 -- Wall Street Journal
Number of North Korean refugees fleeing to the South hits 20,000 -- The Telegraph
North Korean arrivals in South 'surge' -- BBC
My Comment: Considering how difficult it is to escape from north Korea, these stats are remarkable. My expectation is that with conditions in North Korea not improving, and easier access into China .... this defection rate will only increase with time.