Latest news with #GanghwaIsland
News24
07-08-2025
- Politics
- News24
South Korea rescues North Korea defector who swam across ocean border
South Korea detained a North Korean defector who swam across the sea border. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare. South Korea and the US will conduct major joint military drills starting on 18 August. A North Korean defector who swam across a sea border with South Korea while reportedly tied to floating plastic has been rescued and taken into custody, Seoul authorities said on Thursday. The North Korean managed to swim across the de facto maritime border off the western coast of the Korean peninsula on the night of 30 July, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The border is known as the Northern Limit Line and has occasionally served as a route for North Korean defectors swimming to South Korea's Ganghwa Island. 'The military identified the individual near the north of the mid-river boundary,' a military official told reporters. The individual, who local media reported was tied to Styrofoam when he was found, waved for help and said he wanted to defect to South Korea when asked by a South Korean naval officer, the official said. The operation took about 10 hours, according to Seoul, and the individual was rescued at around 04:00 on 31 July (19:00 GMT 30 July). The North Korean is now in custody and has expressed their wish to defect, the defence ministry said. Kyodo News via Getty Images Ganghwa Island, located northwest of Seoul, is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10km from the maritime border between the two countries. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to the South since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides. But a North Korean man defected in July to the South by crossing the Military Demarcation Line. The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders - purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the frontier with China - to prevent the spread of Covid-19. North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South. Handout/South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP Reuters reported that South Korea and the US will conduct major joint military drills starting on 18 August, officials said, although they will delay parts of the annual exercises that have been a source of tension with North Korea to later in the year. The 11-day annual exercises, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, will be on a similar scale to 2024 but adjusted by rescheduling 20 out of 40 field training events to September, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said. The allies agreed to reschedule some parts of the drill to next month over factors 'including ensuring training conditions during extreme heat and maintaining a balanced combined defence posture year-round', Lee said at a briefing. This year's drill will test an upgraded response to heightened North Korean nuclear threats as well as cutting-edge technologies used in modern wars, Lee said, citing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The exercise will include a scenario of a North Korean missile launch, but will not cover a potential nuclear test by Pyongyang, he said. The decision to spread out the scheduling included reasons such as extreme weather, Lee said, denying there were any political factors behind the move. The drills are due to be staged as the new South Korean government of President Lee Jae Myung seeks to improve strained ties with Pyongyang and revive stalled dialogue with its neighbour. A senior official from South Korea's Unification Ministry, which manages relations between the Koreas, said on Thursday that the delay in some training exercises was aimed at easing tensions with North Korea, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
CNA
07-08-2025
- CNA
North Korean rescued after swimming across border: Seoul
SEOUL: A North Korean defector who swam across a sea border with South Korea while reportedly tied to a floating plastic has been rescued and taken into custody, Seoul authorities said on Thursday (Aug 7). The North Korean managed to swim across the de facto maritime border off the western coast of the Korean peninsula on the night of Jul 30, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The border is known as the Northern Limit Line and has occasionally served as a route for North Korean defectors swimming to South Korea's Ganghwa Island. "The military identified the individual near the north of the mid-river boundary," a military official told reporters. The individual, who local media reported was tied to styrofoam when he was found, waved for help and said he wanted to defect to South Korea when asked by a South Korean naval officer, the official said. The operation took about 10 hours, according to Seoul, and the individual was rescued at around 4am (3am, Singapore time) on Jul 31. The North Korean is now in custody and has expressed their wish to defect, the defence ministry said. Ganghwa Island, located northwest of Seoul, is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10km from the maritime border between the two countries. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to the South since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides. But a North Korean man defected last month to the South by crossing the Military Demarcation Line. The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders - purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the frontier with China - to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Al Arabiya
07-08-2025
- Al Arabiya
North Korean defector rescued after swimming across border: Seoul
A North Korean defector who swam across a sea border with South Korea while reportedly tied to floating plastic has been rescued and taken into custody, Seoul authorities said Thursday. The North Korean managed to swim across the de facto maritime border off the western coast of the Korean peninsula on the night of July 30, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The border is known as the Northern Limit Line and has occasionally served as a route for North Korean defectors swimming to South Korea's Ganghwa Island. 'The military identified the individual near the north of the mid-river boundary,' a military official told reporters. The individual, who local media reported was tied to Styrofoam when he was found, waved for help and said he wanted to defect to South Korea when asked by a South Korean naval officer, the official said. The operation took about 10 hours, according to Seoul, and the individual was rescued at around 4:00 am on July 31 (1900 GMT July 30). The North Korean is now in custody and has expressed their wish to defect, the defense ministry said. Ganghwa Island, located northwest of Seoul, is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10 kilometers (six miles) from the maritime border between the two countries. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to the South since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighboring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides. But a North Korean man defected last month to the South by crossing the Military Demarcation Line. The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders -- purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the frontier with China -- to prevent the spread of COVID-19. North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South.
Al Arabiya
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
South Korea arrests Americans trying to send Bibles to North
South Korean police on Friday arrested six US nationals attempting to send plastic bottles packed with rice and Bibles to North Korea, the head of the investigation team said. Local police said the six were trying to send thousands of plastic bottles, filled with rice, one-dollar bills and Bibles, into the sea off Ganghwa Island at 1:03 am on Friday when they were caught. 'We have arrested and are questioning six American nationals in their 20s to 50s on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety,' the head of the investigation team at Ganghwa Police Station in Incheon told AFP. The Americans could not speak Korean, so 'an interpreter was provided for them and we have since started the questioning,' he added. Located northwest of Seoul, Ganghwa Island is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10 kilometers (six miles) from the maritime border between the two countries. The island has long been a popular site for non-profit organizations and anti-North Korean groups to launch plastic bottles filled with rice, as well as USB sticks containing K-pop and South Korean dramas. The area was designated a danger zone last November, along with other border regions where activists launch balloons carrying leaflets. At the time, the government said such activities could be perceived by the North as provocative. Last year, the two Koreas were in a tit-for-tat propaganda war, as the North sent thousands of trash-filled balloons southwards, saying they were retaliation for propaganda balloons launched by South Korean activists. In response, Seoul turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts -- including K-pop tunes and international news -- and North Korea started transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the frontier that had been a major nuisance for South Korean residents in the area. South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office this month, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang and has halted the loudspeaker broadcasts, which North Korea, in return, stopped the following day.
Arab News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
S. Korea arrests Americans trying to send Bibles to North
SEOUL: South Korean police on Friday arrested six US nationals attempting to send plastic bottles packed with rice and Bibles to North Korea, the head of the investigation team said. Local police said the six were trying to send thousands of plastic bottles, filled with rice, one-dollar bills and Bibles, into the sea off Ganghwa Island at 1:03 am on Friday when they were caught. 'We have arrested and are questioning six American nationals in their 20s to 50s on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety,' the head of the investigation team at Ganghwa Police Station in Incheon told AFP. The Americans could not speak Korean, so 'an interpreter was provided for them and we have since started the questioning,' he added. Located northwest of Seoul, Ganghwa Island is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10 kilometers (six miles) from the maritime border between the two countries. The island has long been a popular site for non-profit organizations and anti-North Korean groups to launch plastic bottles filled with rice, as well as USB sticks containing K-pop and South Korean dramas. The area was designated a danger zone last November, along with other border regions where activists launch balloons carrying leaflets. At the time, the government said such activities could be perceived by the North as provocative. Last year, the two Koreas were in a tit-for-tat propaganda war, as the North sent thousands of trash-filled balloons southwards, saying they were retaliation for propaganda balloons launched by South Korean activists. In response, Seoul turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts — including K-pop tunes and international news — and North Korea started transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the frontier that had been a major nuisance for South Korean residents in the area. South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office this month, has vowed a more dovish approach toward Pyongyang and has halted the loudspeaker broadcasts, which North Korea, in return, stopped the following day.
