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작년 한국행 탈북민 1천414명..김정은 집권후 첫 실질적 증가 In a possible sign of growing instability in North Korea,... the number of North Koreans fleeing to South Korea last year reached the highest level since Kim Jong-un came to power. Connie Kim reports. The number of North Korean defectors that settled in South Korea in 2016 topped 14-hundred,... the highest figure since Kim Jong-un came to power some five years ago. South Korea's unification ministry says last year's total is eleven percent higher than 2015. After peaking at two-thousand-nine hundred in 2009, the figure dropped to some 15-hundred in 2012 and had been declining further until 2015. The rebound in the number of North Koreans fleeing to the South is attributed to Kim Jong-un's reign of fear and strong international sanctions on the regime. An official from Seoul's unification ministry says there was a big increase of defections of North Koreans who have lived or worked in a third country or the country's elites. The recent group defection of restaurant workers in China and the high-profile defection of the number two official at the North Korean embassy in London have raised speculation the Kim Jong-un regime is weakening. The number of defections to South Korea is expected to increase,.... as South Korea says its door remains open to North Korean citizens and officials looking to start a better life. Around 30-thousand North Korean defectors currently live in South Korea. Connie Kim, Arirang News. Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS): http://www.facebook.com/newsarirang Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtv Twitter: http://twitter.com/arirangworld Instagram: http://instagram.com/arirangworld