Why is North Korea Offering to Send Restaurant Defectors Families to Seoul?
This is an interesting development in the defector restaurant worker issue. The North Koreans are willing to send the families of the defectors to Seoul. I would assume that not all of their families would go and the ones sent would be risking the death of the families members staying behind if they too defected. I would also think these family members would be under strict instructions to try and convince the defectors to come back to North Korea. The ROK authorities probably understand this and this is why they denied North Korea’s request:
North Korea has notified Seoul of its plans to send family members of the restaurant workers who defected earlier in the month to South Korea, the country’s state-run news agency said Friday.
A group of 13 North Korean people defected from the same Pyongyang-run restaurant in China and came to South Korea in early April in what has become a steady stream of people leaving the isolated country.
North Korea has consistently claimed South Korea abducted the workers and demanded that they be returned to their loved ones at once. Pyongyang also threatened to take strong action against the South if its demands are not met.
“The families of the abductees are eagerly asking for face-to-face contact with their daughters as they were forced to part from their beloved daughters,” said the notification sent to South Korea by Ri Chung-bok, chairman of North Korea’s Red Cross.
The notification was carried by the North’s Korean Central News Agency.
“At their earnest requests, our side again seriously notifies your side of our decision to send them to Seoul via Panmunjom (a truce village),” it showed.
South Korea should not conceal the unethical crime under the pretext of “international practice,” but should take “immediate technical measures” for the families to reunite with the defectors, the letter said.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry refused the demand, however, saying in a press release after the report that “The latest group defection by the workers at a overseas North Korean restaurant was completely of their own free will.”
A ministry official also said the South Korean government has not received any official notification letter from North Korea on the matter of sending the family members of the defectors to Seoul. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
This situation is obscene. Someone needs to grab up KJU and cronies, bring them before the World Court, and try them for crimes against humanity. Bite the bullet and bring the NK situation to a conclusion, once and for all. Set the political prisoners free. Feed the people and turn the lights back on. Reunify Korea under a democratic government, and let’s move on.
“I would also think these family members would be under strict instructions to try and convince the defectors to come back to North Korea. The ROK authorities probably understand this and this is why they denied North Korea’s request.”
I think the Blue House should roll out the red carpet to these visiting family members – make a big show of it and treat them like honored guests. Put them in a nice limousine bus and let them ride all around Seoul – they decide where they go – so there’s no chance they can say they only got to see what South Korea wanted them to see.
And by all means – let them visit their daughters. Let them spend all the time they want with them. If the daughters have buyer’s remorse and want to return to the North – by all means, let them go. And of course, if a family wants to stay – let them.
And they should broadcast it all in beautiful Ultra HD. Show the entire world that South Korea is a democratic and free country where one determines his or her own fate.
BTW – I haven’t read anywhere that Seoul has denied the parents from visiting. Where was that reported?
It’s rather like the plot of a bad MBC drama, isn’t it… 🙁