Seven North Korean Defectors Enter Japanese School in Beijing

At 3:45 a.m. (local time) on December 17, seven North Korean defectors entered a Japanese school in Beijing, China and requested entry to South Korea.

After making contact with the school, the Japanese ambassador to China reported the event to the Chinese government and three hours after their entrance, the defectors were transferred to the embassy and underwent identity confirmation.

The North Korean defectors—two men, four women, and a girl—climbed over the 5m high east wall of the Japanese school. It was disclosed that they possessed a note that said, “SOS, we are North Koreans. Help us, we wish to go to South Korea” in English.

Meanwhile, Korean International School in Beijing, which had its gate sealed to repel North Korean defectors, returned to normalcy a day later, on December 17.

Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com