A file photo on North Korean defector.[Courtesy of Unification Ministry]
North Korea has accused South Korea of abducting two workers from one of its restaurants in China, claiming they were the victims of a daylight operation by intelligence agents.
South Korea said three women from a North Korean restaurant in China had arrived this week, marking the second defection of its kind this year. YTN, a cable news channel, said the three from a city in China's Shanxi province had stayed in a refugee camp in Thailand after escaping through Laos.
The North said in a statement published by Pyongyang's state media late Thursday that two workers had been "abducted" by South Korea's spy agency in an open market. Pyongyang said Seoul would be retaliated unless they are not returned.
In early April, 13 North Koreans defected to South Korea after fleeing from their restaurant in China. Pyongyang accused Seoul of abducting them against their will, but Seoul insisted they have come of their own volition.
Seoul officials say North Korean restaurants abroad have been experiencing business difficulty due to strict UN sanctions imposed in March in retaliation for the North's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The restaurants have been Pyongyang's important source of hard currency. South Korean data showed North Korea has about 130 restaurants in a dozen countries.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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