Human rights chief meets UN official, urges resolving N. Koreans' repatriation

Chairperson Song Doo-hwan, left, and United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif pose in this photo provided by National Human Rights Commission. Yonhap

The head of the state human rights commission has held a meeting with the United Nations deputy high commissioner for human rights and called for international efforts to address the repatriation of North Koreans from China, officials said Wednesday.

During the meeting held in Seoul on Tuesday, Song Doo-hwan, chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, and Nada Al-Nashif exchanged views on North Korean human rights, armed conflicts in the Middle East and South Korea's regional human rights protection systems, officials said.

In particular, Song emphasized to the U.N. official "international cooperation and swift human rights protection measures are needed to address the issue of the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees in China."

Last month, a local newspaper reported that China forcibly sent home around 600 North Korean defectors detained in the Jilin and Liaoning provinces right after the end of the Asian Games in Hangzhou. The unification ministry has since confirmed the report, though it did not specify the number of people repatriated. (Yonhap)