'Hundreds of North Korean Defectors' Repatriated... NIS Fails to Detect Any Signs

Kim Kyuhyun "Did Not Recognize Forced Repatriation Incident in Advance"
Opposition Criticizes National Intelligence Service... "Concerns Over Weakening of Chinese Intelligence Activities"
Yoon Gunyoung "Unable to Grasp Total Scale of Chinese Defectors"

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) admitted that it failed to recognize in advance the situation in which hundreds of North Korean defectors in China were forcibly repatriated. While about 500 defectors were being systematically sent back to North Korea, our intelligence agency could not even detect any prior signs, raising concerns about the capability of intelligence operations.

On the 1st, during a closed session of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee’s audit held at the NIS headquarters in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, NIS Director Kim Kyu-hyun responded to the question, "Did you recognize the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China in advance?" by stating, "We did not know in advance." Yoo Sang-beom, the ruling party’s secretary of the Intelligence Committee and a member of the People Power Party, summarized the main audit topics as follows: "There were three key issues during the audit that day," including ▲the announcement of the Central Election Management Committee’s security inspection results, ▲the recent controversy over fabricated drug offender cases, and ▲the role of the NIS in the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China.

Kim Kyu-hyun, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending the National Assembly Intelligence Committee's audit held at the NIS in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 1st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Rep. Yoo said, "Many Democratic Party members questioned whether the NIS had prior knowledge of the forced repatriation incident, but the NIS director answered that they did not know in advance," adding, "Concerns were raised that the NIS’s intelligence activities in China might have weakened."

On the other hand, Rep. Yoon Geon-young, the opposition party’s secretary of the Intelligence Committee from the Democratic Party, explained, "Regarding the forced repatriation incident, various opinions were raised, and when asked whether the NIS knew the total number of defectors in China, (Director Kim Kyu-hyun) answered that they did not know." Regarding whether the NIS had prior intelligence about the large-scale repatriation, he added, "(The director) replied that there was no concrete intelligence."

Previously, Lee Young-hwan, former head of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), stated in an interview with Asia Economy on the 31st of last month, citing sources, that "Two days before China repatriated about 500 defectors, on the 7th, the National Intelligence Service was provided with information indicating signs of a large-scale repatriation, but they did not activate HUMINT (human intelligence networks) or actively investigate the situation."

Lee introduced the source as an activist who has been rescuing defectors living abroad since the late 1990s and is well-informed about the situation in China. This source was reportedly trusted enough to provide detailed information, including specific numbers, to Thomas Ohea Quintana, then the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, early last year, stating that "about 2,000 individuals at risk of repatriation were detained in various facilities across China."

Regarding these claims, a former senior diplomat said, "Even if the intelligence was known, it cannot be concluded whether the repatriation could have been prevented, but there is a fundamental difference between recognizing the situation in advance and attempting to raise public awareness, and not knowing and thus failing to respond." He criticized, "If the NIS obtained the information, it either failed to share it timely with relevant ministries or failed to respond; if it did not know, it is evidence that HUMINT related to China or defectors has collapsed."

Meanwhile, Rep. Yoo Sang-beom explained in a report on China-related trends that "China is maintaining the principle of repatriating all overseas workers in China first, and on the 9th of last month, reportedly repatriated hundreds of defectors detained locally." Additionally, it was reported that the NIS mentioned the possibility that the Chinese government might repatriate more defectors in the future.

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