[imText1]Since the forced repatriation of prisoners of war and their families last October, the government’s silent approach on this issue and the concern of abductees has gained much interest.
At a National Assembly on the 6th, Minister Jeon Yeo Ok of the Grand National Party made a counteractive response on the topic “The Republic of Korea has forsaken us,” following another policy forum on abductees and prisoners of war led by Assembly Woman Song Yong Sun on the 8th.
At the forum, Professor Yoo Ho Yeol of Korea University claimed “The issue of North Korea’s humanitarian aid, prisoners of war and abductees must be incorporated.” He said “The more our government adopts the issue of prisoners of war and abductees, the more changes will be made to North Korea and its leadership.”
“Despite the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration in 2000, the government has not even brought one abductee back to South Korea” and criticized “The government is giving North Korea false hope and is evading the responsibility of the abductees issue and prisoners of war.”
Director Kim Sung Min of FreeNK Broadcast said “Government officials are fixated on driving a relationship with the Chinese and a passive silent diplomacy” and criticized “They have to let go of their friendship and conscience, and are not standing by our country’s morals.”
“Unless the media releases information on prisoners of war and abductees, we cannot even know if a person has been killed or where a person has been taken away if repatriated back to North Korea. The government has created this despondent situation with its ‘silent diplomacy’” he added.
Some claim that the issue of defectors forcefully repatriated violates international law. Kim Chan Kyu, emeritus professor of Kyunghee University said “The fundamental basis of international law states that even if a person is not a citizen, they should not be forced to go to any place in which oppression is bound.”
Professor Kim emphasized “If the Republic of Korea esteems human rights, it should protect defectors once prisoners of war and abductees from the oppression of North Korean law” and “The issue is not whether international law is intervening on North Korea.”
“Needless to say, whether a citizen or a foreigner, no one should ever be forced to go to a place where they will be faced with tyranny” and “China is violating international law by forcefully repatriating defectors back to North Korea” he said.
According to the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Chapter 1, Article 1, A2) a refugee is a person “persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.”
Following the amendment of a North Korean law in April 2004, any citizen who has betrayed the country and escaped to another, or a person who has committed treachery by disclosing secrets will be sentenced to 5 years at the labor training centre. If the case is considered extremely severe, a person may be sentenced to labor training for life or death or forfeiture of property.
