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Two North Koreans, Including Soldier, Defect to South

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Amid new doubts over Pyongyang’s commitment to denuclearization.

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Damir Sagolj/Reuters

Two North Korean nationals have reportedly defected to South Korea after being found in a boat in the Yellow Sea. A government source cited by the Yonhap news agency Saturday said one of the individuals was a North Korean military officer. No further details were available on the defection. The news comes as tensions run high between the two Koreas, with Pyongyang backtracking on a recent South-North summit and on Friday refusing to admit two South Korean journalists sent to observe the closure of a nuclear testing site. North Korea’s pledge to denuclearize and work on improving relations with Washington and Seoul have come into doubt in recent days, with North Korean officials railing against U.S.-South Korea military drills on the peninsula and threatening to call off a highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

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