South Korea against China over the forced repatriation of hundreds of North Koreans
The South Korean government has called on China not to expel defectors. China's foreign ministry rejects the claim, saying that it maintains a "responsible" attitude. The UN rapporteur on human rights in North Korea says at least 2,000 North Koreans are held in mainland China.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – Last Friday, Koo Byoung-sam, spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, confirmed reports from human rights groups that China forcibly repatriated hundreds of North Korean refugees.
Mr Koo added that, at present, it is impossible to know the exact number of people involved. Human rights groups claim that some 600 North Koreans were expelled from China's northeastern region in what amounts to mass repatriation.
Spokesman Koo also noted that South Korea asked for China’s cooperation to prevent the repatriation of defectors, a rare move by South Korean authorities, who usually avoid addressing the issue directly with their Chinese counterparts.
Such requests are unusual not only because of the difficulty in determining the exact number and conditions of North Koreans in mainland China, but also for the need to avoid straining relations with South Korea’s big neighbour.
For its part, China has denied the reports of mass expulsions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China has always maintained a “responsible attitude” towards North Koreans who cross the border for economic reasons.
Although North Koreans are usually granted refugee status when they reach other countries and China is a signatory to the United Nations Geneva Convention, Beijing does not recognise their right to asylum.
Instead, refugees in China are treated as illegal migrants and expelled to North Korea under a bilateral agreement, including many North Koreans who have been in the country for several years, sometimes even creating a family.
Koo added that the South Korean government will do everything to protect the rights of North Koreans abroad.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho, 63, who taught at Sungshin Women's University in Seoul, is known for his tough stance on Kim Jong-Un's regime.
In August, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) and Choe Jaehyeong, a member of the National Assembly of South Korea, organised a seminar on the forced repatriation of North Koreans detained in China.
On this occasion, Minister Kim expressed his opposition to the repatriation of North Koreans, to whom South Korea automatically grants citizenship.
NKDB data show that some 8,000 North Korean defectors were forcibly repatriated, almost 98 per cent by China, as of August 2023.
The minister said that deserters must not only be granted refugee status but that they must also be allowed to reach South Korea.
South Korean rights groups have recently highlighted the plight of North Koreans in China; last September for example, a protest was held in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul.
There groups fear that after three years, North Korea will reopen its borders, making it easier for China to send North Koreans back to their country.
An investigation by 38th North suggests increasing traffic on the Sino-Korean border, indicating that it might reopen soon.
Elizabeth Salmón, UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, estimates that some 2,000 North Koreans are currently detained in China. if the border reopens, they might be at risk
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12/02/2016 15:14
11/08/2017 20:05
