Table of Contents
Does South Korea shoot defectors?
Contemporary South Korean-born defectors There has also been fatalities as a result of failed defections. One defector died in a failed murder-suicide attempt by her husband while in detention. One person who attempted to defect was shot and killed by South Korean military forces in September 2013.
Does South Korea protect North Korean defectors?
Reward. In 1962, the South Korean Government introduced the “Special law on the protection of defectors from the North” which, after revision in 1978, remained effective until 1993. According to the law, every defector was eligible for an aid package.
What happens if you cross the DMZ?
Crossing via the DMZ is dangerous. If spotted and arrested by the North Korean military, those trying to cross would certainly be taken to a detention centre to be interrogated. They could be tried and sentenced to lengthy terms in labour camps.
What is the propaganda value of defectors in North Korea?
The propaganda value of defectors has been recognized even right after the Division of Korea in 1945. Defectors were used as tools to prove the superiority of the political system of the country of destination. North Korean propaganda has targeted South Korean soldiers patrolling at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Can North Korean defectors return to South Korea?
Occasionally, North Koreans who have defected to South Korea have decided to return. Since South Korea does not permit its naturalized citizens to travel to the North, they have made their way back to their home country illegally, and thus became “double defectors”.
Who was the first person to defect to North Korea?
In 1985, Ra il Ryong, a South Korean private, defected to North Korea and requested asylum. In 1988, a Korean employee at a U.S. army unit in South Korea defected to North Korea.
Are there any North Korean defectors who escaped directly to Japan?
There have been three cases of North Korean defectors who have escaped directly to Japan. In January 1987, a stolen boat carrying 13 North Koreans washed ashore in Fukui Port in Fukui Prefecture and then continued to South Korea via Taiwan.