The number of North Korean escapees who entered South Korea this year has slipped compared to last year.
 
Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the ruling Democratic Party unveiled the assessment on Sunday after obtaining relevant data from the Unification Ministry.
 
According to Park, a total of 780 North Korean defectors entered South Korea between January and August of this year, down nearly 13 percent from the same period last year.
 
The Unification Ministry attributed the drop to stronger internal crackdowns by North Korean authorities and tighter border controls between the North and China.
 
Park said that the Chinese government has put up signs near border regions warning of stern punishment for those who help or employ North Korean escapees. 

Nearly 57 percent of North Korean escapees who entered South Korea this year were laborers or farmers on cooperative farms. That percentage is up 16-point-one percentage points from the same period last year. The percentage of soldiers, secret agents and professionals among defectors who entered South Korea also grew slightly.

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