Amid rumors of a hunger strike and possible starvation, South Korean lawyers have requested access to the 12 North Korean restaurant employees who defected to South Korea in early April.

Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) submitted a request on Friday to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to meet the former restaurant workers, asking that the meeting take place after their press conference in front of the North Korean refugees protection center on Monday.

The 13 defectors left Ningbo, China on April 5 and arrived in South Korea on April 7 via Malaysia and Thailand. A male manager from