Posted on 08/19/2002 7:34:06 PM PDT by Mr. Mulliner
21 Korean defectors arrive by fishing boat
INCHEON - A group of 21 North Koreans arrived in South Korea yesterday after a dramatic two-day journey aboard a small fishing boat in the Yellow Sea.
The defectors, comprising three families, included 10 children aged eight to 18.
'Thank you for the warm welcome,' said Mr Soon Jong Sik, 70, representing the group after their arrival at the western port of Incheon.
'We prepared for this for a long time. I am from South Korea and my lifetime dream was to see my hometown again before I die.'
The defectors looked healthy. They were taken away by intelligence officials for investigation and debriefing.
The 11 adults and 10 children were found in South Korean waters aboard a fishing boat off the west coast of the divided Korean peninsula on Sunday evening.
The 'boat people', as South Korean media called them, represented the largest group of family members to defect to South Korea from the North.
--AP
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