South Korea Promises Open Road to Northern Defectors

For the first half of 2016, the number of detections totaled 814, an annual increase of 15 percent. The plethora of defections has followed an increase in tension between North and South Korea following the North’s nuclear testing. The number of defectors used to reach over 2,000 a year, but after Kim Jong-un reached power, the number of defectors was cut in half. It appears to have been due to more difficulty in escaping and increased punishment, rather than better conditions. Park said in her speech that the increase in 2016 has been due to an increase in oppression and widespread hunger.

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Koreas Resume Family Reunion Talks

The New York Times reports that these reunions will take place between October 20 and 26, assuming nothing changes. As the Korean Herald reports, however, the North Korean government has warned that this next round of reunions are on “thin ice” and may be canceled if South Korea continues to oppose the North’s plans of a satellite launch and nuclear tests.

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