[Reporter’s View] Let the Sun Shine On North Korean Defectors

The incident of Jang Gil-Su (17) and his family members, who left for Singapore yesterday after having sought political asylum in the Beijing office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR), reminds us of the `shadow` under the `Sunshine Policy` which has been promoted by the President Kim’s administration.

The government considered a plan to build a shelter for the North Korean defectors in a suburb area of Beijing by supporting the funds to the UNHCR Beijing office in 1996 since the numbers of the North Korea defectors had increased. However, beginning with the current government’s `Sunshine Policy`, the plan fizzled out in the end because the issue of the North Korea defectors was one of the hyper sensitive issues of the North Korean government.

The government’s 1996 plan might have had realistic restrictions. Having considered the fact that an estimated maximum number of the North Korea defectors in China is 0.1 million, the government should have not given it up easily.

Gil-Su published a book, which disclosed the plight of North Korea, in South Korea last May to raise funds for his family’s fugitive life. However, it did not attract attention from the public in the midst of `6.15 Inter-Korea Summit Talk`. Gil-Su and his family took a decisive action of sit-in in the Beijing office of the UNHCR as the final attempt for survival.

Although the Chinese government acknowledged that Gil-Su would be persecuted if he is sent back to North Korea due to his publication and drawing exhibition which disclosed the plight of North Korea, it did not grant the refugee status to Gil-Su. Taken into consideration that other family members would be persecuted under the North Korean practice of a collective punishment, they could have been granted for the refugee status as well. However, the government did not raise this issue to China out of the diplomatic consideration.

Recently, the Chinese government has been strengthening the border security to prevent the increased numbers of the North Korean defectors from escaping to Vietnam or Mongolia. Therefore, the North Korean defectors in China are driven to a deadlock in the midst of fear that they may be forcefully sent back to North Korea. The potential for the outbreak of the second and the third `Gil-Su family` is increasing. Shouldn’t the `Sunshine Policy` be a policy that shines not only on the Kim Jong-Il regime but also on the shadow of the Kim Jong-Il regime?

Kwon Ki-Tae kkt@donga.com