A ship carrying North Korean immigrants was intercepted

On Tuesday, South Korean authorities intercepted a North Korean ship carrying people who may have wanted to emigrate from the country. Announce Reuters, citing the South Korean army.

The small wooden ship was stopped near the city of Sokcho in eastern South Korea when it was spotted early Tuesday morning on the northern border, close to the actual maritime border between the two countries, according to the chief of staff.

The military did not say how many people were on board the plane, but Yonhap News Agency said there were four North Koreans on board who expressed their intention to defect.

This is not the first case in the past month in which a North Korean migrant boat has crossed the maritime border. In May, a fishing boat carrying nine people crossed the western maritime border. However, most North Korean defectors leave via China and Southeast Asia rather than attempt to cross the tightly controlled border between North and South Korea.

Reuters also recalled a case in 2019 when South Korea deported two North Korean fishermen suspected of killing sixteen people on their boat while crossing the maritime border. In October, South Korea said it was protesting China’s forced repatriation of large numbers of North Koreans who human rights groups say face prison sentences and abuse at the hands of North Korean authorities.