"Letter to President Yoon Urging Discussion of Korean War POW Issue on UN Stage"

UN Security Council Holds North Korea Human Rights Meeting for First Time in 6 Years
"Must Lead with Issues of POWs, Abductees, and Detainees"
"Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors in China Clear Violation of International Law"
Attention on What Voice South Korean Government Will Raise Amid China's Opposition

North Korean human rights organizations have sent an open letter urging our government to take the lead in holding North Korea accountable by addressing issues related to South Korean POWs, abductees, detainees, and concerns over the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China on the UN stage to President Yoon Suk-yeol. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is scheduled to hold a 'North Korean Human Rights' meeting on the 17th (local time) for the first time in six years, at the request of South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

According to a compilation of reports by Asia Economy on the 16th, Kim Jeong-sam, the brother of missionary Kim Jeong-uk who is detained in North Korea, along with 14 organizations from South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom?including the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), the North Korea Human Rights Citizens’ Alliance (NKHR), and the nonprofit organization Mulmangcho?sent a letter to President Yoon requesting that the Security Council meeting discuss not only the issues of South Korean POWs, abductees, and detainees but also China’s policy of forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors.

A scene of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army transporting South Korean prisoners of war during the Korean War. [Image source: book 'The Korean War as They Saw It 1']

Kim and the organizations pointed out, "For the past 70 years, North Korea has blatantly violated the Armistice Agreement and the Geneva Conventions by refusing to repatriate 50,000 South Korean POWs and approximately 100,000 civilian abductees," adding, "Since the 1953 Armistice Agreement, North Korea has failed to repatriate at least 516 South Korean POWs and civilian abductees, including cases from the Vietnam War and the capture of the naval broadcasting ship 'I-2'." North Korea currently detains at least six South Korean citizens (Kim Guk-gi, Choi Chun-gil, Kim Jeong-uk, Kim Won-ho, Ko Hyun-chul, and one unidentified individual) over the past decade.

They recalled the joint declaration adopted at the South Korea-US summit in April between President Yoon and US President Joe Biden, which for the first time declared a "joint effort to resolve the issues of South Korean POWs, abductees, and detainees," emphasizing that it is important to maintain a "consistent message" on these issues. They stressed that the North Korean human rights discussion at the Security Council should also treat the POW, abductee, and detainee issues as key agenda items for South Korea, the US, and Japan, leading the realization of shared values of human rights and democracy.

North Korean Flag

In particular, the organizations urged the South Korean government to raise a clear voice regarding China’s 'forced repatriation policy' of North Korean defectors, which has become a growing concern amid reports of the imminent reopening of the North Korea-China border. Due to China’s policy of classifying North Korean defectors residing in China as illegal immigrants, most defectors are exposed to risks such as human trafficking, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, forced abortions, and infanticide, which clearly violate international norms including the principle of non-refoulement and the Convention Against Torture.

Kim and the organizations reiterated, "Although the UN General Assembly has annually recommended referring North Korea’s human rights violations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) through resolutions, this has not been realized due to vetoes by China and Russia," urging, "If China and Russia exercise their veto power, South Korea should lead diplomatic efforts for ICC referral, keeping discussions at the UN General Assembly in mind."

‘North Korean Human Rights’ Meeting Convened for the First Time in Six Years... ‘South Korea Must Raise Its Voice’

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting.
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Previously, South Korea, the US, and Japan requested the Security Council to hold a North Korean human rights meeting, which is expected to be convened on the 17th (local time). Discussions on North Korean human rights have continued since 2014 but were suspended from 2018. This is analyzed to be due to the Moon Jae-in administration prioritizing dialogue with North Korea and the Trump administration in the US deprioritizing North Korean human rights issues.

Recently, China expressed opposition to the meeting’s convening and protested, but if a 'procedural vote' is held, the veto power of permanent members is not recognized. A diplomatic source said, "If nine or more of the 15 Security Council members vote in favor, the agenda will be adopted," adding, "South Korea, the US, and Japan have already secured more than nine votes, so it is safe to say the meeting is confirmed."

China’s opposition, which is expected to be ineffective, appears to be a move to prevent the discussion from expanding to issues concerning China itself. Ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, China is being criticized over the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors residing in China, and it seems to be trying to preemptively block the North Korean human rights discussion from evolving into issues of human rights violations by the Chinese government, such as the indiscriminate detention in the Xinjiang Uyghur region.

▶Below is the list of signatories of the letter: 1 individual and 14 human rights organizations from 3 countries

Kim Jeong-sam (brother of missionary Kim Jeong-uk, detained in North Korea since 2013), 1969 KAL Hijacking Victims’ Families Association, North Korean Defectors’ Solidarity (NKD), North Korea Human Rights Citizens’ Alliance (NKHR), North Korea Human Rights Promotion Center, North Korea Human Rights Committee (HRNK, USA), North Korea Justice Coalition, South Korean POW Families Association, nonprofit organization Mulmangcho, No Chain (USA), North Korea Strategy Center (NKSC), Save NK, Jinggeomdari (UK), THINK, Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.