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[Editorial] Forced Return of Gil-Su Family to North Korea Should Be Prevented

[Editorial] Forced Return of Gil-Su Family to North Korea Should Be Prevented

Posted June. 27, 2001 09:26,   

한국어

Three days have passed since a North Korean defector Jang Gil-Su and his seven family members started a sit-in at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Beijing, China. `Gil-Su’s family`, who entered the UNHCR office Tuesday morning, was reported to have bound their bodies together with a rope which they had prepared, holding a bottle of poison, and said that ``if the Chinese officials try to drag us out, we will commit suicide.`` Their life risking attempt at the end of the painful journey as North Korean defectors for four years have us empathize for them.

As of now, it is difficult to make a hasty conclusion whether they can come to South Korea after their request has been accepted. Although the UNHCR showed a strong support for them, the Chinese who will decide their `fate` has not responded clearly on the issue yet. China has never granted an asylum to the North Korean defectors residing in China. Their first reaction to `Gil-Su family` incident was that `there are no refugee problems between China and North Korea.``

However, we urge the Chinese government to handle the issue of `Gil-Su family` at the humanitarian level before taking other factors into consideration. The Chinese government has dealt with the issue of North Korean defectors in terms of sovereignty or has taken only the North Korea-China relationships into consideration. However, the issue of North Korea defectors should be considered in terms of human rights which is an universal value of human beings. Therefore, if the Chinese government returns `Gil-Su family` back to North Korea, the `land of death`, the Chinese will assume a big damage on its international image. For the peaceful settlement of the case of `Gil-Su family, the Chinese government may need to consider a precedent case in which Hwang Jang-Yup was deported to the third country `.

Our government should make a diplomatic effort in order for the `Gil-Su family` to come to South Korea. The government also should take active measures for the North Korean defectors residing in abroad upon this case. The issue of how to protect and support the North Korean defectors can make a great influence on the social integration of South-North during the process of unification and after the unification. Therefore, the government should take actions by establishing a cooperation system with the private organizations that support the North Korean defectors as well as planning for the support, instead of taking passive measures on this issue, on the one hand. On the other hand, the government should negotiate with the related countries in order for the defectors to be guaranteed at least their safety.