Minister of Unification Ryu Woo Ik, commenting on the controversial issue of force repatriations, said today, “The Chinese side needs to take an interest and look to move forward.”
Speaking at a forum organized by Maeil Business Newspaper and Korea Finance Corporation this morning, Ryu went on, “I hope that this issue will not compromise South Korea-China relations, which have been developing well.”
South Korea and China need to solve bilateral difficulties through close diplomatic consultation and with respect for universal norms, he went on.
“The root of defector problems is North Korea,” he also noted. “North Korea needs to feel primarily responsible for this and should refrain from punishing repatriated defectors.”
Meanwhile, new statistics released today by the Ministry of Unification show that the number of defectors arriving in South Korea in January this year was 30% below the 2011 monthly average. Only 160 defectors arrived in South Korea during the period.
