There are fears 22 North Koreans may have been executed after they were returned home having been picked up in boats in waters belonging to South Korea, a news report said yesterday.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an unidentified intelligence source in Seoul saying that there has been a widespread rumor in the area where the 22 came from that all were shot dead last week by the hard-line communist state.
They had been sent back home by South Korea on Feb. 8 after being found drifting in two rubber dinghies in the South's waters, the report said.
"Residents in South Hwanghae are in shock as all the 22 people, instead of being sent to prison, were shot to death," a source from South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) was quoted as telling Yonhap.
"They believe the 22 people were caught trying to defect to the South," the source said.
The 22 -- eight men and 14 women -- were picked up by South Korean authorities in the South's waters, although the group said they had not been attempting to seek asylum and were fishing.
"In the course of interrogation, the 22 said they were swept by currents and they were not defectors. They strongly demanded they must be sent back home," an NIS spokesman said.
The NIS said in a statement it believed the group was not seeking asylum and instead were at sea to collect clams and oysters -- though without the necessary authorization of the North Korean maritime agency.
They were apparently hoping to take advantage of lax security during the Lunar New Year break to fish, but instead drifted into the South's waters, the report said.
They were repatriated via an overland route the following day, the NIS said, and may have been executed for fishing without permission.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
PINEAPPLE DEBATE: While the owners of the pizzeria dislike pineapple on pizza, a survey last year showed that over 50% of Britons either love or like the topping A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering ￡100 (US$124) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put customers off the disputed topping. Lupa Pizza recently added pizza topped with ham and pineapple to its account on a food delivery app, writing in the description: “Yeah, for ￡100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” “[We] vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf said. “We feel like it doesn’t suit pizza at all,” he said. The other co-owner, head chef Quin Jianoran, said they kept tinned pineapple
RSS