Number of incoming N. Korean defectors dropped by 77 pct on-year in Q1: official

SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- The number of North Korean defectors coming into South Korea dropped 77 percent to 31 in the first quarter this year as the North's anti-coronavirus border closures remained in place, a unification ministry official said Wednesday.

During the same period last year, 135 North Korean defectors entered the South.

The ministry official cited the North's border closure as one of the reasons for the sharp decline.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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