A “large number” of North Koreans appear to have been forcibly repatriated by Chinese authorities, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Friday, confirming the claims of several human rights groups.
“It appears to be true that a large number of North Korean residents from China’s three northeastern provinces have been repatriated to North Korea,” South Ministry spokesman Koo Byoung-sam told reporters. -Korean unification, without giving an exact number.
Most of the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have fled repression and poverty in their country have chosen to cross the border into China, where they face arrest and deportation.
If repatriated, these North Korean refugees could face severe sanctions in their country, even the death penalty, according to human rights defenders.
“Our government regrets this situation and has seriously raised this issue with China while reaffirming our position,” Koo Byoung-sam continued.
South Korea believes that “North Korean defectors living abroad should not be forcibly repatriated to North Korea under any circumstances,” he continued.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister spokesman Wang Wenbin said there were no North Korean defectors in China.
“China has always taken a responsible attitude towards DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) nationals who enter China illegally for economic reasons, and continues to treat them in accordance with the principles of domestic and international law,” he continued during a press conference.
The South Korean ministry’s statement came after the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, citing human rights groups, reported that nearly 600 North Koreans were repatriated from China on the night of October 9.
For its part, the NGO Human Rights Watch said Beijing had “forcibly sent back” more than 500 North Koreans to their country.
Elizabeth Salmon, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, estimates that around 2,000 North Korean defectors are currently imprisoned in China.
According to HRW, under a 1986 bilateral border protocol, North Koreans are not allowed to seek asylum or settle in China and are instead deported to their home countries.
“The Chinese government should allow UN authorities access to North Korean detainees and grant North Koreans refugee status or allow them to travel safely to South Korea or other countries,” the NGO said in a press release.