The Democratic Party Urges Recommendation of Directors for the North Korean Human Rights Foundation Regarding the Repatriation of North Korean Defectors to China

"Human Rights Advocated by the Democratic Party
Why Are North Korean Residents' Rights the Only Exception?"

The People Power Party recently urged the Democratic Party of Korea to recommend directors for the North Korean Human Rights Foundation in relation to China's large-scale forced repatriation of North Korean defectors.

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th, "A large number of North Korean defectors staying in China were forcibly repatriated," adding, "The world was shocked by the horrors of the Israel-Hamas war, but we must never ignore the fact that a tragedy of comparable magnitude is occurring in North Korea."

Earlier, the Ministry of Unification said in a briefing on the 13th, "It appears to be true that many North Korean residents were repatriated from the three northeastern provinces of China to North Korea."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Floor leader Yoon criticized the Democratic Party for delaying the recommendation of directors for the North Korean Human Rights Foundation, mentioning efforts overseas such as the visit of the U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights. The North Korean Human Rights Foundation was supposed to be launched in 2016 when the North Korean Human Rights Act was enacted, but it has not opened because the Democratic Party has not recommended any directors for seven years.

Yoon said, "The appointment of the U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights was a response to our government's appointment of the Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights last year and a humanitarian decision signaling that the North Korean human rights issue will no longer be postponed for political reasons," adding, "Our National Assembly must now end the deadlock of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation and send a clear message of human rights protection to North Korea and the international community."

He continued, "Last month, the National Human Rights Commission passed a recommendation urging the Democratic Party, which has not recommended directors for the foundation, to do so by addressing the Speaker of the National Assembly," emphasizing, "For seven years, the public has been asking why the human rights of North Korean residents are the only exception among the human rights the Democratic Party claims to uphold."

Furthermore, Floor leader Yoon described the Democratic Party’s failure to recommend directors amid the worsening North Korean human rights situation as a "grave mistake." He said, "According to media reports covering North Korea’s internal situation, public executions have become so frequent that they exceed 100 per year, including teenagers and pregnant women," and added, "While witnessing the deteriorating human rights situation in North Korea, if the Democratic Party continues to delay director recommendations out of deference to the North Korean regime, they should remember that they are committing a serious error in the face of the nation’s suffering."

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