HRWF Int. (01.10.2006) – Website: http://www.hrwf.org – Email: info@hrwf.net – North Korea is accusing Mr Kato Hiroshi, secretary-general of Life Funds for North Korean Refugees (LFNKR) and six other Japanese NGO members of abducting North Korean citizens. The accusations came during the 3-day bilateral talks with Japan, which, it was hoped, would help to resolve the ongoing dispute over Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents during the last three decades. The talks were held in Beijing.
The Japanese envoy urged Pyongyang to return the abductees, draw open the official secrecy that has long veiled the issue, and hand over the perpetrators to face justice. In response, delegate Kim Chol Ho (head of the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s Japanese Affairs Section) accused Kato Hiroshi and six other members of Japanese NGOs of abducting North Korean citizens. Kim urged the Japanese government to hand over these seven people. Each of the NGOs mentioned is actively engaged in helping North Korean refugees and escapees. Delegate Kim said the crimes by these seven are “conspiracy against the state” according to his country’s criminal code.
Mr. Kato and all LFNKR members work to provide food, clothing, shelter and medicines for North Korean refugees who leave their own country seeking survival. LFNKR also provides North Korean orphans with education where possible. In some cases, North Korean escapees have sought their help in escaping from China and resettling in Japan where they will be free from the threat of repatriation. The North Korean government has now labeled this help a serious crime.
