The Dong-A Ilbo reported that 9 defector children, recently detained by authorities in Laos, have already been repatriated to North Korea.
According to several sources, the defector children were sent from Laos to China via plane on May 27th. Upon arrival in Beijing, they were directly sent to Pyongyang via Koryo Airlines on May 28th. The Laotian government transferred custody of the children to North Korean agents due to stringent demands from the North Korean authorities. One diplomatic source said the passports of these North Korean agents were special, so there is a high possibility that they could have been officials from North Koreas National Security Agency.
Subsequently, this event raises concerns that Southeast Asian countries, which are a main route for North Korean defectors, could be blocked for a long time.
Source: Dong-A Ilbo