More than 1,400 North Koreans defected to South Korea in 2016

North Korean defectors to South Korea increased by 11% last year, including elites and overseas workers.

Former North Korean deputy ambassador to London, Thae Yong-ho, fled to South Korea. Photo: Korea Times

1,414 North Koreans defected to South Korea last year, compared with 1,275 in 2015, Yonhap reported today, citing preliminary data from the South Korean Unification Ministry.

The total number of North Koreans who defected to South Korea as of the end of December 2016 was 30,208.

The highest number of North Korean defectors in a single year was in 2009 when 2,914 people fled to South Korea, but the number has declined since 2011, when leader Kim Jong-un took power and tightened border controls.

South Korea blames the surge in defections on Kim Jong-un's efforts to tighten his grip on power and the impact of international sanctions.

In April 2016, a group of 13 North Korean restaurant workers defected to South Korea. North Korea's deputy ambassador to London, Thae Yong-ho, defected in July, becoming the highest-ranking official to defect to Seoul.

"The number of North Korean overseas workers and elites defecting to South Korea increased last year," a South Korean Unification Ministry official said.

According to VNE