The two men, aged 20, crossed the border into South Korean waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula in a fishing boat last week. The men were questioned by South Korean authorities, and during the course of the investigation, the authorities concluded that the two, along with a third person, had murdered sixteen people in the boat's crew.

"The government decided to expel them because they had committed serious, non-political crimes like murder and that they were not legally covered by our protection," said Lee Sang-Min, spokesman for the reunion ministry.

Danger to others

In addition, the men were considered to pose a danger to others in South Korea if they were allowed to stay. The men were surrendered at Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone between the countries.

The reason for the events on board the boat must have been that the captain had treated the three men badly, and that they had therefore killed him. Then the other crew members were killed to hide the captain's murder. When one of the perpetrators was arrested in North Korea, the remaining two fled with the fishing boat towards South Korea, the BBC reports.

Tens of thousands of jumpers

Since the 1950s, tens of thousands of residents have moved from North Korea to South Korea. In 2017 alone, there were 1,127 dropouts, according to the BBC.

The two countries never made peace after the 1950-53 Korean War, just a ceasefire. According to South Korea's constitution, all North Koreans are automatically South Korean citizens, with the right of residence and legal protection.

The human rights organization HRNK criticizes the extradition for undermining this provision in the constitution.

"After decades of research on North Korea's treatment of citizens, we know that there is no doubt that the two extradited will be severely punished without trial, tortured and almost certainly executed," HRNK chief Greg Scarlatoiu said in a statement. He also questions the details of what they both did.