SEOUL, – A pregnant woman in her 20s was among the four North Koreans who crossed the eastern maritime inter-Korean border on a wooden boat last month in an attempt to defect to the South, a government source said Thursday.

The Coast Guard and military officials secured the 7.5-meter-long boat carrying the North Koreans in waters east of Sokcho, 151 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Oct. 24 after South Korean fishermen at the scene reported seeing an “unusual” boat.

The group, consisting of three women and one man, has claimed to have fled the North due to a food shortage.

In a parliamentary audit last month, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said North Korea appears to be suffering from a severe food shortage, citing their remarks. He also confirmed the three women are family members.

The North Koreans, currently staying at a protection center for defectors run by the National Intelligence Service, are expected to undergo a 12-week resettlement program at Hanawon, a government-run facility for defectors.

It marked the first time since November 2019 that a group of North Koreans has made an attempt to defect to South Korea on a vessel in the East Sea. At that time, South Korea repatriated the two North Koreans, who confessed to killing fellow crew members.

In May, the South Korean military intercepted a North Korean fishing boat carrying a group of defectors that crossed the western Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea.

Source: Yonhap News Agency