News in South Korea of the death of a defector woman and her young son has prompted shock among the escapee community and the broader general public, with a vigil set up in central Seoul on Friday to raise awareness of the case.

Reports emerged earlier this week of the death of a 42-year-old woman – now named as Han Sung-ok – and her six-year-old son in Bongcheon, southern Seoul, on July 31.

The two were discovered by a janitor roughly two months after their deaths, with some reports suggesting they had starved and that there had been no food in their