Six refugees from North Korea, including women who were trafficked in China, arrived in US on Friday to become the first North Koreans to be given asylum in America, activists said on Monday.
They are the first North Koreans to be granted asylum in US under a 2004 US law aimed at protecting human rights in the isolated North through refugee assistance.
The State Department declined to comment on the six refugees or on possible future arrivals from North Korea, citing a policy of not commenting on individual asylum cases.
Adrian Hong, head of Liberty in North Korea, a group which raises funds and runs shelters for refugees in China, said secrecy was necessary to retain the cooperation of Southeast Asian transit countries and to avoid crackdowns on asylum seekers by China.