The NHRCK (Ahn, Kyong-whan, Chairperson) recommended the Minister of Foreign Affairs and trade to initiate diverse diplomatic measures to stop the Chinese government from forcefully repatriating North Korean defectors, keeping in mind the international human rights law including the UN Refugee Convention and humanitarian concerns and to take appropriate measures to protect the rights of North Korean defectors.
Issues relating to North Korean defectors have already raised serious concerns in the international human rights community, especially North Korean defectors residing in China. In 2008, Korea-China relations have elevated to ‘strategic cooperative partnership’ and the recommendation urges the Korean government to take constructive efforts to protect the human rights of the North Korean defectors through diplomatic efforts.
Many domestic and international organizations, such as UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Anti-Slavery International have been actively involved in and continuously brought forward the issue of forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. It has been reported that every year many thousands, and every month, several hundreds of North Koreans are forced to return to North Korea.
The NHRCK has already expressed its position on December 11, 2006 asking the government to take active diplomatic efforts and implement measures to improve and protect the rights of North Korean defectors. Furthermore, the Commission also announced its plan to conduct research on the actual situation and undertake policy studies to investigate the condition of the North Korean defectors.
The NHRCK has continued investigations and research on this issue, by conducting field missions around the area, conducting international symposiums, expert’s seminars, and policy consultations with the government agencies. It also held Plenary Committee Meetings on July 15, 2008 and August 4, 2008, and the commissioners exchanged opinion about the scope and language of the recommendations to be made. Although there were minority opinion that raised concerns about the effectiveness and possible negative influence of making a recommendation, the Commission made a recommendation to the government to devote diverse diplomatic efforts to protect the human rights of the North Korean defectors and to prevent the Chinese government from continuing to forcefully repatriate North Korean defectors.
