This undated file graphic, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows a map of North Korea with images of people. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The unification ministry said Thursday it is working to verify speculation that China sent back hundreds of North Korean defectors earlier this week, stressing that any North Korean refugees should not be repatriated to the North against their will.
China forcibly repatriated around 600 North Korean defectors detained in the Jilin and Liaoning provinces Monday night to their reclusive home country via border cities such as Dandong and Hunchun, right after the end of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, according to local human rights groups.
There are growing concerns over China’s forced repatriation of such refugees, as North Korea started to reopen its border in August after it imposed strict COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020.
The ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said it is keeping close tabs on the issue while trying to verify the claim.
“The government has the stance that North Korean defectors staying abroad should not be sent back to the North against their will. The move will be a violation of international norms banning forced repatriation,” a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
China has begun sending back around 90 North Korean defectors on two buses since late August and completed the forced repatriation of around 2,600 defectors, Justice For North Korea, a rights advocacy group, claimed.
At a parliamentary audit session held Wednesday, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said the government has expressed its stance on several occasions via diplomatic channels that China should not forcibly repatriate the North’s defectors.
Concerns have grown that North Korean defectors could undergo human rights abuses and face harsh punishment if they are sent back to North Korea.
(Yonhap)
