N.K. math prodigy arrives in S. Korea after defection: report

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- A young North Korean math whiz who is believed to have sought asylum at the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong has recently arrived in Seoul, a foreign media outlet reported Wednesday.

Citing a report of news agency Factwire, the South China Morning Post said that the 18-year-old student "left Hong Kong for South Korea over the weekend," ending a two-month stay there.

The North Korean teen who took part in the International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong walked into the South Korean consulate in the special administrative district in July and sought asylum, Hong Kong media outlets earlier reported.

The South Korean government has declined to confirm the latest report.

If confirmed, the latest case adds to a series of socially well-off North Koreans escaping the country as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seeks to tighten control over the people.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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