Two North Koreans who arrived in South Korea on a wooden boat near Sokcho, Gangwon Province, on June 26th are being probed for the tenth day on their intent to defect from the North.

It’s the fifth defection since North Korea’s sinking of South Korea’s “Cheonan” warship on March 26th.

A senior Defense Ministry official in Seoul says a soldier on guard spotted the two North Koreans in waters 40 kilometers east of Sokcho City around 9 a.m. on June 26th.

The North Koreans reportedly expressed their will to defect at that time.
The official said that North Korea has recently tightened security along the border as defectors continue to attempt to abandon the North via the sea.