HRW "China Ultimately Bloodied Its Hands... Forced Repatriation Since August"

Human Rights Watch Judges Large-Scale Repatriation Rumors Credible
"China Has Been Repatriating Dozens of North Korean Defectors Since August"
Predicted It, but Ministry of Unification Says "Verifying Facts"
Taeyongho Warns "Fear of Execution as Government Hesitates"

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), which monitors human rights violations around the world, has strongly condemned the Chinese government's large-scale forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. While the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which has emphasized 'value diplomacy,' has yet to even ascertain the facts, HRW has stated that it considers the 'large-scale repatriation suspicions' to be credible information and has even presented information that repatriation operations began as early as August.

Rina Yun, Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Asia Economy on the 13th, "We consider the reports that the Chinese government has forcibly repatriated a large number of North Korean defectors to be credible information." Earlier, Radio Free Asia (RFA) cited a missionary group engaged in rescue activities for North Korean defectors, reporting that the Chinese government forcibly repatriated about 500 defectors through border customs on the night of the 9th, immediately after the closing of the Asian Games. HRW is said to have verified the facts regarding the large-scale repatriation situation using its own information network.

A woman being dragged away by Chinese police outside the Korean Consulate in Beijing, China. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Human Rights Watch believes that repatriation operations began as early as August, when North Korea lifted its border closure. Senior Researcher Rina Yun explained, "We separately confirmed that China forcibly repatriated 80 North Korean residents on August 29 and 40 on September 18 this year," adding, "We also understand that nearly 50 people were repatriated in July 2021, when North Korea's borders were closed due to the spread of COVID-19."

Some daily reports estimate the scale of this repatriation to be as high as 600 people. Jeong Pedro, head of the North Korea Justice Coalition, stated, "About 600 North Korean defectors who were arrested and detained as illegal residents during the COVID-19 spread period were loaded onto trucks and forcibly repatriated through five locations: Dandong in Liaoning Province, and Hunchun, Tumen, Nanping, and Changbai in Jilin Province." It is known that many women, including pregnant women, children, and even newborns, were among them.

Senior Researcher Rina Yun urged, "The South Korean government should condemn the recent repatriation of North Korean defectors by the Chinese government and call for an immediate halt to forced repatriations." Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch Asia, also expressed concern in an official statement, saying, "China has blood on its hands," and warned, "There is no doubt that the repatriated defectors will be interrogated and tortured, and in some cases, executed."

While claiming to have anticipated it... the Ministry of Unification still says "under verification"

Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho [Photo by Yonhap News]

Despite the international human rights organization assessing the credibility of the information and condemning the Chinese government, our government still has not grasped the situation. At the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit on the 11th, Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho responded to lawmakers' criticism by saying, "We anticipated that such an incident would occur immediately after the Asian Games," inviting criticism. This implies that the tragedy was foreseen but no response was made.

Since then, the Ministry of Unification has maintained the position of "verifying the facts" without expressing particular concern. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the same. The National Intelligence Service also appears to have not caught any significant developments. An intelligence official said, "We are aware of the information released by defector groups and missionary activists," but added, "We are currently verifying the details, and at this point, official confirmation is not possible."

Within and outside non-governmental organizations (NGOs), there are criticisms that the government's weak information capabilities have been exposed. A source involved in rescuing North Korean defectors claimed, "The current government’s intelligence network on North Korea has completely collapsed," and added, "It seems they really do not know and cannot find a clue." Another source said, "There is sufficient evidence, including call records, photos, and texts before the repatriation, but the government is not actively contacting NGOs."

In the political sphere, voices criticizing the effectiveness of 'quiet diplomacy' are emerging. Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, emphasized, "While hesitating due to concerns about diplomatic friction with China, North Korean defectors, who are constitutionally our citizens, will not escape execution." Lawmaker Jeong Jin-seok also said, "Shouldn't the government issue an official statement?" and added, "This issue should be raised as an agenda at the Korea-China-Japan summit."

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