South Korea has repatriated nearly 200 North Koreans who came to the South via the sea border since 2010 but two fishermen sent back in 2019 were deported against their will, data from Seoul's Unification Ministry showed on Friday.
The rare data from the ministry in charge of inter-Korea affairs emerged after prosecutors reopened an investigation into the fishermen's case amid a public outcry over the previous government of President Moon Jae-in's handling of the their constitutional and human rights.
It showed that a total of 276 North Koreans had arrived in the South on 67 occasions since 2010, whether they went adrift at sea or were detained after violating the border. Of them, 194 returned home while 82 defected to the South, and only the two fishermen were listed as "expelled."
