Fourteen members of two North Korean families defected to South Korea by sea Monday, becoming the first "boat people" to flee their impoverished country.
A boat carrying the North Koreans was found near Paekryong-do, the westernmost South Korean island, the Defense Ministry said. As South Korean navy boats approached, the North Korean ship broke away from nearby Chinese fishing vessels, and its occupants signaled their intention to defect.The defectors - five men, five women and four children - included eight relatives of the ship's captain, Ahn Sung-wook.
The Defense Ministry quoted the defectors as saying they left Shinuiju, a North Korean port city, three days ago. They are the first North Korean "boat people" to defect to South Korea, the ministry said.
About 150 North Koreans have defected to South Korea in the past three years, all through China or the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.
There was no word on the reason for Monday's defections. Some previous defectors have cited hunger as one of their motivations.