 NORTH Korea has ordered its overseas diplomats to send their children back to the Communist state in an apparent attempt to stop the officials from defecting. North Korea's ruling Workers' Party issued the order under which about 3,000 children aged five or older must return home within 30 days, the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said. The measure was believed to be aimed at preventing defections by diplomats and their families by raising the possibility that their children might be persecuted, the report said. The Yonhap news agency carried a similar report, but said each diplomat would be allowed to take one child to their overseas posts. The reason for the move is unclear: there have been no known defections by North Korean diplomats in recent months.
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