Boat carrying presumed N. Korean defectors reaches South

North Korean defectors and human right activists stage a rally demanding Chinese government to release North Korean defectors captured in China, near the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Sept. 22, 2023. - AP

SEOUL (AFP): A small wooden boat carrying a group of North Koreans has crossed into South Korean waters, Seoul's military said Tuesday (Oct 24), in what appeared to be a rare defection across the maritime border.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the boat and its crew were "presumed to have defected" from the isolated, nuclear-armed North.