North Korean border guards have reportedly shot dead five refugees after pursuing them across the border into China. According to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper, the border guards chased seven refugees across the frozen Yalu River into China, shooting five dead and wounding the other two. They are then said to have dragged the bodies and the injured back over the frontier, with the permission of Chinese authorities. Thousands of North Koreans have fled the communist state in a bid to escape poverty and hunger. It has been reported that Kim Jong-il's son and heir apparent has ordered soldiers to shoot anyone who tries to cross the border. Kim Jong-un has denounced refugees as traitors.