11 North Koreans defect to S. Korea by boat

Eleven North Koreans in a small boat defected to South Korea on Thursday, the defence ministry in Seoul said. They arrived at the eastern coastal town of Jumunjin, where investigators were questioning them aboard the boat.

Yonhap news agency said the 11 were five males, including two boys, and six women.

Sea escapes are relatively rare, with almost all fugitives crossing the land border to China and travelling on to Southeast Asian nations before resettling in South Korea.