Park Jin, a member of the foreign affairs-unification-national security subcommittee, said on the 29th, “The defector issue is an urgent and realistic issue in which South Korea should take leadership.”
Park said during his visit to Hanawon, a facility for resettlement and education of defectors in Ansung, Gyeonggi Province, “The defector issue is a universal human rights issue and the first step for reunification.”
He added, “While the South Korean government has neglected and disregarded the defector issue, defectors have chosen third-party countries as the path to survival. Those who have defected from the North are entitled to return to the embrace of the Republic of Korea and our administration has the responsibility of bringing them safely home.”
He emphasized, “Even when the Chinese police had detained, imprisoned, and forcibly deported defectors to face gruesome deaths, the government said nothing about this. The position of not inciting the North due to North-South relations or avoiding friction with China cannot continue.”
Park also pointed out, “Defectors who have entered South Korea have undergone psychological and physical suffering due to societal prejudice, discriminatory treatment, and unemployment and are defenselessly exposed to all kinds of criminal injury. Despite the seriousness of the issue, the administration has dealt with the defector issue these last five years in a passive, resistant manner.”
Park said, “There is a need to accurately analyze the actual situation of defectors, to strive to eliminate prejudice against defectors, and to strengthen the education to prevent criminal injuries against defectors.”
Team member Hyun In Taek said, “The defector issue should be treated from the dimension of universal human rights. The government should not neglect or avoid this issue any longer. It should confront and resolve the issue.”
Hyun added, “I think that this process, regardless of the cost or effort, is ultimately not wasted. The previous administration should have hold an in-depth meeting and have a time of self-reflection regarding whether this issue was handled well. The next administration should make an epochal head-way into the issue.”
20-some people, including Team members Park and Hyun and other related persons of the Presidential Transition Team as well as officials from the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, met with six defectors and inspected the educational facility.
