[Reporter’s Notebook] Value Diplomacy Fails to Prevent China’s Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors

Large-Scale Repatriation of North Korean Defectors Right After Asian Games
"Quiet Diplomacy" Backfires on Yoon Administration
Another Repatriation Expected Soon...
UN Action Needed to Stop China

The government has taken a stance opposing the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China against their free will, advocating for "quiet diplomacy" to avoid diplomatic disputes. However, on the night of the 9th, when the Hangzhou Asian Games concluded, China pushed hundreds of defectors back to North Korea. Temporarily repatriating about 500 people is an unprecedented scale. It is natural to have doubts about whether the "behind-the-scenes negotiations" were ineffective.

Foreign Minister Park Jin emphasized at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee’s audit on the 10th that "As the cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan strengthens, China's attitude toward South Korea is actively changing." This confidence faded in less than a day. The next day, the large-scale forced repatriation incident became known. Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho, upon hearing the repatriation news during the audit, said, "I anticipated such an incident would occur right after the Asian Games," inviting criticism. This implied that although the repatriation by China was foreseen, no response was taken.

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration has raised "value diplomacy" emphasizing liberal democracy and human rights as its banner. The plan was to build solidarity with the international community and increase influence based on universal values. In its North Korea policy, "human rights" was positioned as a core pillar. This was also the point highlighting the difference from the Moon Jae-in administration, which focused on inter-Korean dialogue. However, value diplomacy was powerless in front of China, which pushed through the repatriation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not even summoned the ambassador to protest at the lowest level. The roles of the ministries must be seriously reviewed during the remaining audit period.

The National Intelligence Service’s information network is also criticized for failing to function properly. The Ministry of Unification confirmed on the 13th, two days after the large-scale forced repatriation incident was reported in the media, that "it appears to be true." Subsequently, a senior official from the Ministry of Unification told reporters, "We did not receive any information sharing from the National Intelligence Service." It is unclear whether the National Intelligence Service failed to detect signs of the large-scale repatriation or knew but did not share the information. Either way, it is enough to cast doubt on the capabilities of the National Intelligence Service.

Improving Korea-China relations is important for national interests. However, protecting North Korean defectors is a matter concerning the safety of our citizens under the constitution and the defense of human rights and liberal democracy. There are expectations that a "second repatriation" of North Korean defectors in China will begin within about two weeks. It is urgent to stop China’s forced repatriation now. Diplomatic efforts to pressure the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and lead international cooperation are urgently needed.

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