The Hindu : Defectors reach Seoul

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 25, 2002

International

International

Defectors reach Seoul

SEOUL: Two dozen North Korean defectors, including an infant, arrived in South Korea from China on Monday after a month-long diplomatic standoff over their fate. The first to arrive were two North Korean teenagers who flew to South Korea from Beijing via Singapore, officials said. The pair had been holed up in Canada's embassy in Beijing for nearly a month, while Canada and China discussed how they should be handled. Looking fresh and well-dressed, a second group of 24 defectors (a mother and daughter are seen in the picture) arrived later at South Korea's main Inchon international airport and were whisked onto a waiting bus, witnesses said. ``I am so glad that my whole family can come to South Korea,'' one woman defector told reporters at the airport. The unidentified woman fought back tears as she spoke some of her first words on South Korean soil. Another defector — a woman who appeared to be in her 20s or 30s and walking with a cane — was piggy-backed by another defector to the bus.

— Reuters

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