N. Korea military bolsters patrols along coasts to deter defections to South

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com

SEOUL — North Korea has bolstered coastal surveillance as its citizens seek sea routes to South Korea following tightened controls over the land borders with China, a military source here said.

NKrefugeesinboat — A North Korean wooden ship sails to the North in the sea off South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island on March 27. The Red Cross says South Korea has repatriated 27 North Koreans whose status was uncertain for more than a month because others on their drifting fishing boat defected.

The North’s navy has stepped up patrols along the coast to deter people from fleeing the famine-hit nation to defect to the South.

“The North’s navy has recently increased patrols along the coast and inspected civilian boats,” the source said.

The North’s ships that normally remain near the inter-Korean maritime border have drawn back to reinforce patrols along its coast.

“As a result, the North’s intrusions into the Northern Limit Line have decreased to 16 times so far this year, or one-sixth of what it did a year earlier,” the source said.

The source said the North Korean People’s Army’s frontline 4th Army Corps has also strengthened its guard of the coastal area to crack down on possible escapees.

Communications among military bases on the southern coastal area have sharply increased in recent months, an indication that they are cooperating more closely in bolstering coastal patrols and hunting down potential defectors, the source said.

Read complete article.

Inter-Korean maritime border, N. Korea military bolsters patrols along coasts to deter defections to South, Northern Limit Line, People’s Army

N. Korea military bolsters patrols along coasts to deter defections to South added by World Tribune on December 7, 2011
View all posts by World Tribune →