9 self-proclaimed NK defectors arrive in Japan

Nine people claiming to be North Korean defectors are being questioned in Japan on Tuesday after being found adrift aboard a small boat in waters off the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.

They told Japanese authorities that they came from North Korea and want to go to South Korea. If confirmed, this would be the third time for North Koreans to escape their country on a boat through the East Sea to Japan following similar cases in 1987 and 2007.

Japanese media including the daily Asahi Shimbun and NHK said the Japan Coast Guard received a report at 7:26 a.m. from a fisherman who said a boat was sailing near the island with Korean words printed on it. The coast guard arrived at the spot at 9 a.m.

Three men, three women and three children were aboard and no one seemed sick. After being escorted to a nearby port, a man claiming to be the group leader allegedly said, "We are a family and want to go to South Korea."

The boat was about eight meters long, was moving with an engine, and had food including rice and kimchi, but lacked a GPS system and life vests, according to the reports.

North Koreans rarely escape their country by boat through the East Sea to Japan because of the long voyage and tight security around North Korean waters. The nine defectors reportedly belong to the North`s military.

A source at a Japanese civic group that financially supports North Koreans said, "There is a high possibility that they are a family related to the North`s military since escaping by sea requires inspection by North Korea`s maritime police."

In January 1987, 11 North Korean defectors were rescued after being spotted in waters off Fukui Prefecture. In June 2007, four North Koreans were rescued near Aomori Prefecture. Both groups were sent to South Korea according to their wishes.

changkim@donga.com