The founder of AhnLab, sitting dean of Seoul National University Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology and someone heavily tipped as a progressive candidate in the upcoming South Korean presidential race, Ahn Cheol Soo briefly visited the site of protests against the forced repatriation of defectors outside the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Sunday evening.
Ahn took a moment to greet Peter Jung, the director of human rights NGO Justice for North Korea (JFNK), before clasping the hands of prominent defector Lee Ae Ran and commenting, “I came to comfort you.”
“I haven’t been able to come here to this sit-in to stop the forced repatriations until now, but I’ve been with you in spirit all the way,” Ahn declared, adding, “I am both concerned about and have an interest in human rights problems.”
“The protection of human rights and society’s weakest groups is a precious value that cannot be altered under any circumstances,” he added.
Responding to Ahn’s comments, Lee, then on the 11th day of a hunger strike, noted, “If Director Ahn took a great interest in defectors it would be great. If (Ahn’s visit to the embassy protest) attracts more interest from the younger generation then this country will change, and if that happens then China will change.”
According to Ahn’s team, his visit to the protest site in Hyoja-dong occurred in response to a letter sent by Lee on March 2nd in which she asked him to show a level of public interest in the forced repatriations issue.
