A total of eleven defectors remain in
detention following their arrest by the Chinese public security forces at an undisclosed location on June
19th, the Committee for Democratization of North Korea revealed on
the 3rd.
According to the defector organization, eight
are in Yanji and another three are in the nearby border town of Tumen. The
eleven had been preparing to come to South Korea, and as such are thought to be in
grave danger of serious punishment if repatriated to North Korea.
General-Secretary Seo Jae Pyeong told Daily
NK today, “They were arrested while intending to come to South Korea, so their
lives are in danger. As a defector, it is deeply painful. It would be best if, be
it officially or unofficially, presidents Park Geun Hye and Xi Jinping discussed
this during their summit and made sure that the eleven came to South Korea for
humanitarian reasons.”
