Civic Groups Demand Asylum for NK Defectors
A South Korean human rights group protests in front of the Laos Embassy in Seoul to draw awareness to three North Korean defectors captured in Laos that the Laos government plans to return to North Korea where they will either face life in the gulag or execution.Â
What has the South Korean government doing about this you may ask? Well absolutely nothing:
The South Korean Embassy in Laos allegedly ignored pleas for help from three young North Koreans held by Lao authorities who could be deported to their Stalinist home country. Hiroshi Kato, the head of Japanese activist group Life Funds for North Korean Refugees, on Thursday revealed the identity of the young defectors and is working for their release. According to Kato, Choi Hyang, Choi Hyuk and Choi Hyang-mi are being held in a detention center near the capital Vientiane.
This is about par for the course for the South Korean government to ignore the plight of desperate refugees. Does anyone else find it ironic that a Japanese activist group is the one fighting for the release of these refugees while the South Korean government does nothing? They must be to preoccupied with more pressing matters like demanding apologies from Japan for the 15th time about the Korean "comfort women" of 60 years ago while ignoring the plight of these Korean women now.Â
I think this is a perfect opportunity for the US or Japanese governments to step in and offer asylum to these defectors if the South Korean government does nothing. Some government needs to show some moral courage here and save these defectors from the gulag that awaits them in North Korea.Â
Hi Gi,
I was talking to my wife about this just a little while ago. She says that in the Korean news, they are reporting that Laos asked for money before they send these 3 to South Korea and South Korea turned them down. Now Laos is sending them back because of this. I don't know which news site my wife read this from, and I don't read Korean, yet. I also realize state run Korean news sites aren't always the best for information. But maybe somebody else has heard this as well and can confirm it.
Either way, it doesn't look good when nobody from the South Korean embassy has even stopped by to see how the refugees are being treated.
[…] [GI Korea] Civic Groups Demand Asylum for NK Defectors Published: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:41:48 +0000 A South Korean human rights group protests in front of the Laos Embassy in Seoul to draw awareness to three North Korean defectors captured in Laos that the Laos government plans to return to North Korea where they will either face life in the gulag or execution.Â* What has the South Korean government doing about this […] Read More… […]
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