Remarks by a Senior South Korean Ministry of Unification official has sparked controversy over the recent defection of 13 North Korean restaurant workers in China. Stating "quite a few [restaurant employees] came, and there may be others [among those who remained behind] with different views," speculation has surfaced over the employees with "different views".
Beijing has not yet offered an official response on the group defection but has stated that they were not North Korean defectors because "examination in response to missing persons reports showed that they had departed with valid passports".
Source: Hankyoreh