Four suspected North Korean defectors found in small boat in South Korean waters

A small wooden boat is towed into a port in South Korea (Park Young-seo/Yonhap via AP)

Four North Koreans have been found in a small wooden boat in South Korean waters in what is likely to be a rare case of North Koreans taking a risky sea voyage to flee to the South, Seoul officials said.

More than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to avoid poverty and political oppression since the late 1990s.