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Inaugural North Korean defectors' day ceremony

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a ceremony for the inaugural North Korean defectors' day in Seoul on July 14, 2024.

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Inaugural North Korean defectors' day ceremony

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a ceremony for the inaugural North Korean defectors' day in Seoul on July 14, 2024.

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N. Korean defector group tries to fly leaflets over north

SEOUL, South Korea - A group of defectors from North Korea attempts to distribute leaflets slamming Pyongyang in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, in this photo taken on Sept. 21, 2014. South Korea's parliamentary debate on a bill aiming at improving human rights conditions in North Korea is in full swing following the adoption of a U.N. committee resolution denouncing Pyongyang's violations of such rights.

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N. Korea defectors release anti-Pyongyang messages

PAJU, South Korea - Defectors from North Korea release balloons with messages denouncing the North Korean regime in Paju, South Korea, on Oct. 10, 2014.

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Leaflets criticizing N. Korean regime released

SEOUL, South Korea - A South Korean group consisting of defectors from North Korea release into the sky balloons carrying some 200,000 leaflets and DVDs criticizing the North Korean regime in Paju, South Korea, near the border with the North, on Sept. 21, 2014.

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Kim Jong Un's effigy burnt in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - An effigy of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is burnt by members of a conservative group and defectors from North Korea in Seoul on Jan. 8, 2014, to coincide with what is believed to be Kim's 31st birthday. North Korean authorities say their leader was born on Jan. 8 but have not revealed the year of his birth.

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Kim Jong Un's effigy burnt in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - An effigy of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is burnt by members of a conservative group and defectors from North Korea in Seoul on Jan. 8, 2014, to coincide with what is believed to be Kim's 31st birthday. North Korean authorities say their leader was born on Jan. 8 but have not revealed the year of his birth.

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Japanese abductee's son sent back to N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Kyoko Matsumoto, abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 29. Her son was among the group of nine defectors recently sent from Laos back to the reclusive country, a South Korean daily reported May 30, 2013. The Japanese government officially designated Matsumoto as an abductee of the North Korean authority, but Pyongyang has denied she ever entered North Korea.

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Japanese minister vows to rescue abductees

SEOUL, South Korea - Jin Matsubara (R), Japanese minister in charge of addressing the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s, records a message at a radio station in Seoul on April 22, 2012, for a shortwave program of Free North Korea Radio, which is run by defectors from North Korea. In the message he vowed that Japan will make ''all-out efforts to rescue abductees as soon as possible.''

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Message to North

SEOUL, South Korea - Defectors from North Korea hold a picture criticizing the North Korean leadership before they fly anti-North Korean handbills to the North by balloons from the South Korean border city of Paju on Feb. 16, 2012.

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Message to North

SEOUL, South Korea - Defectors from North Korea hold a picture criticizing the North Korean leadership before they fly anti-North Korean handbills to the North by balloons from the South Korean border city of Paju on Feb. 16, 2012.

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N. Korean defectors protest against N. Korea

PAJU, South Korea - People including defectors from North Korea protest against the North Korean government in Paju's Imjingak, South Korea, on Dec. 21, 2011.

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Anniversary of N. Korean defector Hwang's death

SEOUL, South Korea - People including defectors from North Korea release large balloons carrying about 200,000 leaflets criticizing the North's government into the sky during an event at Imjingak, Paju, South Korea, near the border with the North, on Oct. 10, 2011, to commemorate the first anniversary of Hwang Jang Yop's death. Hwang, the highest-ranking North Korean ever to defect to South Korea, was found dead in Seoul on Oct. 10, 2010, after defecting from the North in 1997.

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Anniversary of N. Korean defector Hwang's death

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean defectors raise an image of Hwang Jang Yop, the highest-ranking North Korean ever to defect to South Korea, during an event at Imjingak, Paju, South Korea, near the border with the North, on Oct. 10, 2011, to commemorate the first anniversary of Hwang's death. Hwang was found dead in Seoul on Oct. 10, 2010, after defecting to the South in 1997.

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9 N. Korean defectors leave for S. Korea

FUKUOKA, Japan - A bus carrying nine North Korean defectors is parked beside a Korean Air jet at Fukuoka airport in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at around 9:40 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2011, ahead of their departure for South Korea in accordance with their wishes to seek asylum there. Tokyo and Seoul arranged the transfer of the defectors who were found adrift on a wooden boat off Ishikawa Prefecture in September 2011.

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9 N. Korean defectors leave for S. Korea

FUKUOKA, Japan - Nine North Korean defectors are transferred from a bus to a Korean Air jet at Fukuoka airport in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 9:49 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2011, to depart for South Korea in accordance with their desire to seek asylum there. Tokyo and Seoul arranged the transfer of the defectors who were found adrift on a wooden boat off Ishikawa Prefecture in September 2011.

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9 N. Korean defectors arrive in S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea - Nine North Korean defectors arrive at Incheon international airport in South Korea from Fukuoka airport in Japan on the afternoon of Oct. 4, 2011. The transfer of the defectors who were found adrift on a wooden boat off Ishikawa Prefecture in September 2011 was arranged between Tokyo and Seoul in accordance with their wishes to seek asylum in South Korea.

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9 N. Korean defectors leave for S. Korea

FUKUOKA, Japan - Nine North Korean defectors aboard a Japan Coast Guard airplane (front) arrive at Fukuoka airport in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 9:07 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2011, to head for South Korea in accordance with their wishes aboard a Korean Air plane (back). Tokyo and Seoul arranged the transfer of the defectors who were found adrift on a wooden boat off Ishikawa Prefecture in September 2011.

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9 N. Korean defectors leave for S. Korea

FUKUOKA, Japan - A Korean Air jet carrying nine North Korean defectors takes off from Fukuoka airport in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2011. The transfer of the defectors who were found adrift on a wooden boat off Ishikawa Prefecture in September 2011 was arranged between Tokyo and Seoul in accordance with their wishes to seek asylum in South Korea.

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9 N. Korean defectors leave for S. Korea

OMURA, Japan - A bus carrying nine North Korean defectors leaves a Justice Ministry facility in the city of Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at around 8 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2011. The defectors, who were found adrift on a wooden boat off Ishikawa Prefecture in September 2011, departed for South Korea in accordance with their wishes from Fukuoka airport the same day.

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N. Korean defectors in Japan

OMURA, Japan - A bus carrying North Korean defectors enters an immigration facility in Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Sept. 14, 2011. The Japanese government plans to transfer the defectors, a group of nine people including three children who were found adrift aboard a wooden boat off the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, to South Korea in accordance with their desire.

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N. Korean defectors transferred to Nagasaki

KOMATSU, Japan - A plane of the Japan Coast Guard (front) carrying nine defectors from North Korea approaches the runway prior to take off from Komatsu airport in Ishikawa Prefecture on Sept. 14, 2011 to take them to Omura Immigration Center in Nagasaki Prefecture. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine the previous day in the sea off the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa.

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N. Korean defectors transferred to Nagasaki

KOMATSU, Japan - Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2011 shows a helicopter, which is believed to be carrying nine defectors from North Korea, landing at Komatsu airport in Ishikawa Prefecture. The defectors will then board a plane of the Japan Coast Guard (back) to be transported to Omura Immigration Center in Nagasaki Prefecture. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine the previous day in the sea off Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa.

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N. Korean defectors transferred to Nagasaki

KOMATSU, Japan - A person, believed to be one of nine defectors from North Korea, is seen on a helicopter which is about to land at Komatsu airport in Ishikawa Prefecture on Sept. 14, 2011. The defectors will then board a plane of the Japan Coast Guard to be transported to Omura Immigration Center in Nagasaki Prefecture. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine the previous day in the sea off the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa.

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N. Korean defectors transferred to Nagasaki

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a helicopter, which is believed to be carrying nine defectors from North Korea, taking off from the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship Echigo off the coast of Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture on Sept. 14, 2011. The nine will be transported to Omura Immigration Center in Nagasaki Prefecture by coast guard plane from Komatsu airport. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine the previous day in the sea off the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa.

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N. Korean defectors transferred to Nagasaki

KOMATSU, Japan - A helicopter, which is believed to be carrying nine defectors from North Korea, is about to land at Komatsu airport in Ishikawa Prefecture on Sept. 14, 2011. The defectors will then board an airplane of the Japan Coast Guard to be transported to Omura Immigration Center in Nagasaki Prefecture. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine the previous day in the sea off Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa.

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Probable N. Korea defectors in Japan

TOYAMA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows nine probable defectors from North Korea being escorted by officers after getting off a helicopter aboard the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship Echigo in the Sea of Japan off Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sept. 13, 2011. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine -- six adults and three children -- and took them to Kanazawa port. A man among them told the coast guard that they are relatives and they left a North Korean port on Sept. 8 in the hope of going to South Korea.

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Boat carrying apparent N. Korean defectors

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a wooden boat (front) being towed by the Japan Coast Guard in the Sea of Japan to Kanazawa port, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sept. 13, 2011. The coast guard found the boat carrying nine apparent defectors from North Korea -- six adults and three children -- earlier in the day in waters off Wajima in the prefecture. A man among them told the coast guard that they are relatives and that they left a North Korean port on Sept. 8 in the hope of going to South Korea.

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Probable N. Korea defectors in Japan

TOYAMA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a helicopter taking off from the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship Hida, in the Sea of Japan off Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sept. 13, 2011. The helicopter was carrying nine probable defectors from North Korea-- six adults and three children -- found earlier in the day on a wooden boat. A man among them told the coast guard that they are relatives and they left a North Korean port on Sept. 8 in the hope of going to South Korea.

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Probable N. Korea defectors in Japan

TOYAMA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows nine probable defectors from North Korea being escorted by officers after getting off a helicopter aboard the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship Echigo in the Sea of Japan off Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sept. 13, 2011. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine -- six adults and three children -- and took them to Kanazawa port. A man among them told the coast guard that they are relatives and they left a North Korean port on Sept. 8 in the hope of going to South Korea.

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Probable N. Korea defectors in Japan

OSAKA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a wooden boat bearing Korean characters on its side in the Sea of Japan off Ishikawa Prefecture on Sept. 13, 2011. The coast guard found the boat carrying nine probable defectors from North Korea -- six adults and three children -- earlier in the day. A man among them told the coast guard that they are relatives and they left a North Korean port on Sept. 8 in the hope of going to South Korea.

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Boat carrying apparent N. Korean defectors

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a wooden boat being towed by the Japan Coast Guard in the Sea of Japan to Kanazawa port, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sept. 13, 2011. The coast guard found the boat carrying nine apparent defectors from North Korea -- six adults and three children -- earlier in the day in waters off Wajima in the prefecture. A man among them told the coast guard that they are relatives and they left a North Korean port on Sept. 8 in the hope of going to South Korea.

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Probable N. Korea defectors in Japan

TOYAMA, Japan - Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows nine probable defectors from North Korea being escorted by officers as they get off a helicopter aboard the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship Echigo in the Sea of Japan off Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sept. 13, 2011. The coast guard found a wooden boat carrying the nine -- six adults and three children -- and took them to Kanazawa port. A man among them told the coast guard that they are relatives and they left a North Korean port on Sept. 8 in the hope of going to South Korea.

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S. Korea to build 2nd facility for N. Korean defectors

SEOUL, South Korea - File photo taken in May 2009 shows South Korea's first ''Hanawon'' (House of Unity) in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, to help North Korean defectors adjust to life in the South. The South Korean government announced a plan on June 22, 2011, to start building a second Hanawon in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.

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Anti-Pyongyang demonstration in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean defectors and other people burn a North Korean flag in Seoul on March 4, 2011, during a protest against the North Korean government.

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S. Koreans at Imjingak

SEOUL, South Korea - Members of a South Korean conservative group and defectors from North Korea release balloons with messages criticizing the North Korean government from Imjingak in Paju near the Military Demarcation Line on Nov. 30, 2010.

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Ex-abduction minister Nakayama, husband join Sunrise Party of Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Kyoko Nakayama (R), former minister in charge of the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, said in Tokyo on June 21, 2010, that she and her husband, former transport minister Nariaki Nakayama (L), have joined the Sunrise Party of Japan. The party was formed in April this year by defectors from the Liberal Democratic Party.

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Ex-abduction minister Nakayama, husband join Sunrise Party of Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Kyoko Nakayama (R), former minister in charge of the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, said in Tokyo on June 21, 2010, that she and her husband, former transport minister Nariaki Nakayama (L), have joined the Sunrise Party of Japan. The party was formed in April this year by defectors from the Liberal Democratic Party.

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Hanawon resettlement facility

SEOUL, South Korea - This July 8 photo shows part of the Hanawon resettlement facility for defectors from North Korea in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. The South Korean government opened the center to the press on the 10th anniversary of its establishment.

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Dental office in N. Korea defectors resettlement facility

SEOUL, South Korea - A woman shows off a dental office inside the Hanawon resettlement facility for defectors from North Korea in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, on July 8. Members of the center's medical team say many defectors need dental treatment when they arrive.

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Church in N. Korean defectors resettlement facility

SEOUL, South Korea - This July 8 photo shows a church inside the Hanawon resettlement facility for defectors from North Korea in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. The facility also has a Buddhist temple.

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Room for N. Korea defectors resettlement facility

SEOUL, South Korea - This photo shows a room at the Hanawon resettlement facility for defectors from North Korea in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. The defectors, many of whom suffer chronic headaches and stress-induced mental ailments such as anxiety disorder and insomnia, live in groups at the facility. Some have also lost relatives and other people close to them to starvation but they rarely talk about it, staffers say.

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Children of N. Korean defectors in facility

SEOUL, South Korea - Children of defectors from North Korea play at a childcare center inside the Hanawon resettlement facility for defectors from North Korea in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, on July 8.

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N. Korean defector learns how to use phone

SEOUL, South Korea - A defector from North Korea makes a call from a public phone at the Hanawon resettlement facility in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, on July 8. During their three-month stay, the defectors learn about customs and the way of life in South Korea, including how to use telephone cards and computers.

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4 N. Korean defectors travel to S. Korea from Japan

INCHEON, South Korea - A family of four North Korean defectors wearing masks are escorted by South Korean government officials after arriving at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from Japan on June 16, two weeks after arriving in Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan in a small, wooden boat on June 2.

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4 N. Korean defectors travel to S. Korea from Japan

INCHEON, South Korea - A family of four North Korean defectors wearing masks are escorted by South Korean government officials after arriving at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from Japan on June 16, two weeks after arriving in Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan in a small, wooden boat on June 2.

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4 N. Korean defectors travel to S. Korea from Japan

INCHEON, South Korea - Four North Korean defectors wearing masks arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from Japan on June 16, two weeks after arriving in Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan in a small, wooden boat on June 2.

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4 N. Korean defectors travel to S. Korea from Japan

SEOUL, South Korea - Four North Korean defectors wearing masks arrive at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, from Japan on June 16, two weeks after arriving in Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan in a small, wooden boat on June 2.

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4 N. Korean defectors sent to immigration center in Ushiku

AOMORI, Japan - A police bus carrying four North Korean asylum-seekers leave the Goshogawara police station in Aomori Prefecture on way to the Aomori airport on June 6. The four will be housed at the Immigration Bureau detention center in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture before they fly to South Korea for asylum.

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4 suspected defectors left China-N. Korea border area 6 days ago

AOMORI, Japan - Police officers check an open boat in which four people of unknown nationality entered a port in Japan's Aomori Prefecture on June 2. Police said that the three men and a woman told investigators they left a China-North Korea border area about six days ago.