5일 서울 중구 주한중국대사관 앞에서 ‘북한제대로알기클럽’이란 단체 회원들이 중국 정부에 탈북자 강제북송 중지를 촉구하는 기자회견을 하고 있다. (Yonhap)
A civilian group claimed that 15 North Korean defectors have been arrested and detained in China. The South Korean Unification Ministry stated that they are currently verifying the facts and emphasized that forced repatriation should not occur.
Jang Se-yul, the head of the group ‘Korea Solidarity for Human Rights,’ revealed on Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 26th that 15 North Korean defectors who were on their way to South Korea were arrested by Chinese security authorities in Kunming, Yunnan Province, a border region with Southeast Asia.
According to Jang, the arrested defectors include 13 North Korean women and 2 children from Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces in China. They had safely arrived in Kunming after splitting into two groups for safety reasons but were apprehended by Chinese authorities just before boarding a speedboat bound for a third country in Southeast Asia.
Kunming is a major transit point within China for North Korean defectors heading to South Korea via Southeast Asia. Radio Free Asia speculated that they may have been forcibly repatriated to northeastern China such as Jilin Province and reported that the families of the detained individuals have requested international community and the South Korean government to prevent their forced repatriation.
An official from the Ministry of Unification mentioned on the 27th that they are communicating with the relevant organization following the media reports and are currently verifying the facts. The official stressed that under no circumstances should North Korean defectors residing abroad be forcibly repatriated against their will, reiterating the government’s fundamental stance.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Noh Jae-woong also stated, “There is no information to provide regarding the specific issue at hand, but the government maintains the position that under no circumstances should North Korean defectors living abroad be forcibly repatriated against their will.”