Taeyoungho: "Agenda of 'Suspension of Forced Repatriation' Raised During US-China Bilateral Talks"

Tae Young-ho, People Power Party Lawmaker, Meets with US Government Officials
Reports Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors from China and Requests Cooperation
US: "Active Response from Bilateral Talks to Multilateral Forums"

Rep. Taeyongho of the People Power Party met with U.S. State Department officials to request cooperation in stopping the Chinese government's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. In particular, he secured a promise that the U.S. would place the agenda of 'halting forced repatriation' on the table in future U.S.-China bilateral talks and take a more leading role in pressuring the Chinese government on international stages such as the United Nations General Assembly.

According to Rep. Taeyongho's office on the 17th, as a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee currently staying in the U.S. for a government audit, he met the State Department's East Asia and Pacific Bureau Korea-Mongolia Desk Chief Seth Bailey and U.S. House Representative Glenn Ivey the day before to request cooperation regarding the recent mass forced repatriation of North Korean defectors by the Chinese government and urged active U.S. action to resolve the issue.

Representative Tae Young-ho of the People Power Party and Seth Bailey, Director for Korea and Mongolia at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
[Photo by Representative Tae Young-ho's Office]

Rep. Taeyongho emphasized, "It is a reality that the Chinese government's forced repatriation is difficult to stop with only the South Korean government's demands," adding, "At the very least, active cooperation from the U.S. administration is necessary to prevent the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors who have not yet been sent back from China and to save the lives of those already repatriated." He continued, "As the ROK-U.S. alliance has evolved into a comprehensive strategic alliance sharing values, we must speak with one voice to resolve the forced repatriation issue that violates human rights and international norms," and reiterated, "The most effective way is to internationally pressure both North Korea and China through this."

Desk Chief Bailey stated, "The U.S. government also views this issue seriously," and presented four cooperation commitments. The policies he disclosed include: ▲ placing the issue of halting forced repatriation on the agenda for U.S.-China bilateral talks for discussion ▲ the U.S. taking a leading role in urging the cessation of forced repatriation at multilateral forums such as the upcoming United Nations General Assembly ▲ discussing specific cooperation measures to improve the situation of repatriated North Korean defectors at the ROK-U.S.-Japan senior nuclear envoy consultations and including related content in a joint statement ▲ and Julie Turner, the U.S. State Department's Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, announcing the U.S. government's opposition to forced repatriation during her visit to Seoul.

Representative Taeyoungho of the People Power Party and Representative Glenn Ivy of the U.S. House of Representatives
[Photo by Representative Taeyoungho's Office]

Before visiting the State Department, Rep. Taeyongho also met with Representative Ivey early on the 16th. Representative Ivey represents a district in Maryland with a large Korean population. At the meeting, he pointed out, "Despite knowing that repatriated North Korean defectors face torture, detention, and even execution, the Chinese government decided to proceed with repatriation," adding, "This is very similar to Hitler forcibly deporting countless Jews to concentration camps."

Additionally, Rep. Taeyongho delivered a joint statement condemning the Chinese government's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors and a letter urging signatures to Representative Ivey, appealing for active participation. Representative Ivey's office responded by pledging to actively encourage many members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee to participate so that a message of solidarity can be sent from the international community.

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