Over 1,000 North Korean Citizens Defected To South Korea In January-November - Reports

A total of 1,042 North Korean citizens have left their home country for South Korea in the first 11 months of the year, marking a slight decrease year-on-year, local media reported on Tuesday, citing the South Korean Unification Ministry.

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2018) A total of 1,042 North Korean citizens have left their home country for South Korea in the first 11 months of the year, marking a slight decrease year-on-year, local media reported on Tuesday, citing the South Korean Unification Ministry.

Meanwhile, 1,045 defectors were registered over the same period in 2017, according to the Yonhap news agency.

South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said that the current figures had remained within the average number of defectors recorded yearly under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"Since Chairman Kim ... took office in 2012, around 1,000-1,500 North Koreans have defected to the South every year," Cho was quoted as saying by the media outlet.

Many North Korean defectors are using China as a transit point on their way to South Korea. Over 32,000 defectors have been reportedly living in the South as of the end of November.