[USFK Forums] N. K. defectors arrive in S. Korea from Hungary [Yonhap]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Tuesday, March 28, 2006

(2nd LD) N.K. defectors arrive in S. Korea from Hungary

2006/03/28 11:25

SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean believed to have worked for North Korea's state-owned company in a European country has arrived in South Korea along with his family, government sources here said Tuesday.

The North Korean and his three family members were undergoing questioning by state intelligence officials, according to the sources.

Their arrival came after the four sought asylum at the South Korean embassy in Hungary last Wednesday.

The North Korean was earlier believed to be a diplomat, but officials at the Foreign Ministry said no North Korean diplomat has defected recently.

"No ministry official has heard that a North Korean diplomat has defected," Bae Young-han, a ministry spokesman, told reporters.

The earlier reports also said the defector may have been working with a diplomatic passport, but the ministry spokesman said that was not the case either, saying a state official working with a diplomatic passport would be considered a diplomat.

The joint inquiry of North Korean defectors by the National Intelligence Service and other related offices is a measure to screen out any Korean-speaking people from other countries, such as Korean-Chinese, trying to enter the country on false claims, according to government officials.

bdk@yna.co.kr

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