South Korea, U.S. confront PRC on North Korean human rights

Radio Free Asia
South Korea and the United States decried the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) repatriation of North Korean defectors, pledging to collaborate in addressing the human rights crisis in the country.
The vow came as South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met with the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, Julie Turner, in Seoul in October 2023. During the meeting, the allies confirmed their commitment to enhancing the human rights situation in North Korea, particularly concerning the PRC’s return of defectors to the North.
“The North Korean people are living in extremely dire conditions,” Park said, adding that Kim Jong Un’s regime is pursuing nuclear weapons at the expense of North Korean citizens’ basic rights.
Recent reports alleged that “hundreds of North Korean defectors detained in China have been forcibly repatriated to North Korea,” Park said. “Under no circumstance should North Korean defectors be forcibly repatriated against their will.
“That is our government’s position. And we’ve made it clear to the Chinese side,” he said. “My government is engaging in vigorous diplomatic efforts to ensure that North Korean defectors are not forcibly repatriated to North Korea, but rather in accordance with humanitarian principles.
“I look forward to a continuous robust engagement and to our active collaboration to bring about real change in the North Korean human rights situation.”
Park’s comments added weight to the announcement from South Korea’s Unification Ministry days earlier that it had lodged a protest against the PRC regarding the suspected forced repatriation of North Koreans. Kim’s regime views defectors as a threat and often subjects them to harsh punishments, including imprisonment, torture and potentially death, according to testimonies of those who have fled North Korea.
Human Rights Watch reported that Chinese authorities forcibly returned over 500 North Koreans to the reclusive nation. The independent organization urged governments worldwide to condemn Beijing’s actions. Most of the North Koreans were civilians and religious leaders arrested while attempting to travel to South Korea from China, according to sources.
Peter Jung, head of the Seoul-based organization Justice for North Korea, also said a large number of North Koreans, including children, had been returned from China and that the repatriations took place simultaneously in several areas.
Turner vowed to work with South Korea.
“The human rights situation in North Korea remains amongst the worst in the world,” she said. “The international community must come together to work to expose the regime’s human rights abuses and create concrete change to improve the lives of the North Koreans.”
South Korean-U.S. collaboration, including gathering and disseminating information, could help garner a broader international coalition to exert pressure on North Korea.
Ji Seong-ho, who defected from North Korea to South Korea, where he’s now a member of the National Assembly, said it’s crucial that Seoul and Washington intervene to assist North Korean deportees in the PRC and work “to halt further forced repatriations.”