Seoul urges Beijing to stop repatriating North Koreans

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks during a press conference on the possible resumption of China's deportation of North Koreans against their will at the Press Center in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Unification minister asks China to abide by UN treaties on refugees, torture

By Jung Min-ho

Seoul urged Beijing, Wednesday, to stop repatriating North Korean escapees against their will amid signs that China is about to resume the practice, which would put the lives of those people in grave danger after returning to their homeland.

At a press conference on the issue in Seoul, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho asked Chinese authorities to abide by U.N. treaties on human rights the country signed and to recognize North Korean escapees as refugees.

"The forcible repatriation of people against their will is a violation of the spirit and principle of the international law that bans it," Kim said during the event held at the Press Center.

"All North Koreans in China should be treated based on the international human rights standard and be allowed into the countries they wish. I ask for the Chinese government's cooperation on the issue regarding North Korean escapees detained in China, which has been brought up repeatedly by South Korea and the international community."

His statement came as a pair of buses were detected crossing the North Korean border city of Sinuiju into China in an indication that the two countries are moving to lift restrictions set up on their border during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may well lead to the deportation of up to 2,000 North Korean escapees held in China due to the coronavirus over the past three years, according to rights groups.

Rep. Choe Jae-hyeong, third from right, of the ruling People Power Party speaks during a press conference on the possible resumption of China's deportation of North Koreans against their will at the Press Center in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis

Rep. Choe Jae-hyeong of the ruling People Power Party, who hosted the event, urged Beijing to take necessary steps as a responsible member of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

"The declaration of the end of the COVID-19, welcomed by people around the world, could be terrible news, like a prelude to death, for North Korean escapees detained in China," he said.

Over many decades, he added, Beijing has blatantly violated multiple U.N. treaties, including the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the Convention Against Torture, which China promised to respect as a participating party.

"The Chinese government is turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses, executions and torture of North Korean escapees," Choe said. "We urge relevant international organizations, such as the UNHCR, to intensify their efforts to protect the human rights and safety of North Korean escapees."

This photo, taken in the Chinese city of Dandong, Wednesday, shows two buses crossing the China―North Korea Friendship Bridge. Yonhap

According to the testimonies of numerous North Korean escapees, the fate awaiting those deported by China could be years of incarceration in political prison camps, at the very least. If they were found to have attended religious facilities or contacted South Koreans in China, the escapees could even be tortured or executed.

For decades, such tragedies have been repeated as a result of lack of cooperation by China as well as a low level of international attention and pressure. The UNHCR is partly responsible for it, said Lee Shin-wha, ambassador for international cooperation on North Korean human Rights.

"The UNHCR has been less active on the issue over the past 10 years than it had been," Lee said.

She noted that governments around the world need to pay close attention to whether the UNHCR tries to maintain its impartiality and independence as China's influence grows within the organization.

Beijing has treated North Koreans crossing the border as illegal migrants, claiming it has the right to send them back. But the U.N. treaty on torture clearly bans repatriation to countries where there is a risk of torture.

"It might be a stretch to conclude that China is responsible for crimes against humanity as North Korea is, according to the assessment of experts on human rights and international laws," Cho Jung-hyun, a law school professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said.

"But there is a link that could find China responsible as an accomplice," Cho added.