2 N. Koreans Defect to South, Seoul Says
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SEOUL — Two North Koreans defected to South Korea on Wednesday, Seoul’s intelligence agency said.
Lee Sung Gook, 30, and Suh Byung Rim, 34, arrived in South Korea from an undisclosed third country, where they had hidden after fleeing North Korea recently, the Agency for National Security Planning said.
The agency said the two men had been detained for questioning. It gave no information on their background and few other details.
About 100 North Koreans have defected to South Korea in the past two years, citing economic hardship and disillusionment with communism. Many defectors have spoken of widespread hunger and a lack of necessities.
Among those who have fled is North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s former wife.
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