[imText1]Human rights activists claimed that unless the defection is not due to their crime North Korean defectors must recognized as ‘Refugees’, UNHCR have to make the action to protect North Korean refugees.
On the first day of “The 6th International Conference on North Korean Human Rights & Refugees,” (Feb 14) during the second session, ‘Protecting North Korean Refugees’, Director of Jubilee Campaign, Ann Buwalda said, “According to the international law those who find themselves outside their country of origin – who did not leave their country of origin for fear of persecution, but who fear persecution upon return must be recognized as refugees too.” She farther claimed, “North Korean Defectors have to admittedly recognized as Refugees and UNHCR have to actively move against this matter.”.
In her explanation of the neighboring countries’ policies toward North Korea, Director Ann Buwalda noted ▲China is infringing the international convention on human rights and continues repatriating the North Korean defectors ▲ Although Mongolia is providing temporary haven safer than China but it is still unstable ▲ Russia is also repatriating the North Korean Defectors and while it refuses to protect them.
Particularly in the case of US, although the North Korean Human Rights Acts passes unanimously at both houses of representatives and senates but they have to delete some of the articles regarding refugee issues in order to adopt it. For that reason settlement of North Korean defectors in US is realistically difficult.
In addition, she complemented the South Korean government by saying that it is the one who provides the most secure protection to the North Korean refugees and requested to keep supporting their resettlement.
The other Panelist, Professor Radik Radwan (Handong International Law School, Korea) urged the audience for their concern about refugees issue by introducing his Almanian father who adopted him.
Professor Radwan informed the public that the UNHCR was not able to get accurate data on North Korean Refugees until now, and this is a clear evidence of how strictly North Korean government is controlling their media and how serious human rights abuse is in North Korea.
He stated, in order to preserve universal human values such as democracy, human rights and legalism, North Korean refugee problem must be taken up front. He also strongly recommended the UN Special Rapporteur conduct a systematic research as the primary step to find the breakthrough for the North Korean human rights problem.
Meantime, Lee Ki-Young, Professor of Pusan National university, who was one of the panelists said, “ According to the report of Director Buwalda, although U.S says it is willing to accept North Korean defectors and their applications for refugee status in the US, but it seems like U.S is avoiding its responsibility by saying that there’s no other alternative except South Korea as the last stop for North Korean defectors to resettle.”
Professor Lee pointed out that U.S does not seem to have enough will to take the burden of North Korean refugee settlement in United States, and hopes the current American North Korean human rights movement is not a “political act” to show off to the international society.
