[Opinion} Standard Tactics To Protect North Korean Refugees

The sit-in strike of the Gil-Su family in the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Beijing had drawn the international attention to the North Korean refugees in China and finally end up with `the entry into Korea after the deportation to a third country.` It is fortunate that they were not forced to return. However, the remark of the UNHCR`s official has to be reconsidered, ``[UNHCR] did not reject their way to a third country because of their health problems,`` which means that `[UNHCR] basically did not agree to their way to a third country.`

In fact, the forced repatriation became impossible when the report was released to the world that the Gil-Su family had asked for the acknowledgement of their refugee status. The Chinese government had to face the harsh international criticism in January last year after deporting 7 North Korean defectors, who the UNHCR acknowledged as refugees, back to the North. Furthermore, one of the 7 defectors escaped from the North again in April this year and testified that he had lost 26 kgs by torture and severe treatment after the forced repatriation and had suffered the mental disorder. He exposed the real states of the infringement upon human rights caused by the violation of the international law of the Chinese government.

Therefore, the forced repatriation was not an option for the Chinese government. Particularly, the final decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the host country of the Olympic Games 2008 is just ahead. In addition, the UNHCR could exercise its extraterritorial rights to protect the Gil-Su family. They are definitely refugees protected by the International Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

Taking this incident as an opportunity, the government has to find institutional measures to solve the issues related to the North Korean refugees. About 100,000 North Korean defectors are in the circumstances of `nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.` Other refugees should not be forgotten under the mood of relax by the safe arrival of the Gil-Su family.

Therefore, the government must not hint that `the entry after the deportation to a third country` is okay, rather must urge China to observe the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The government should have requested China to judge the status of refugees and to clarify the reasons, if China did not acknowledge the Gil-Su family as refugees.

The Gil-Su family had to enter into the office of the UNHCR in Beijing to ask for the acknowledgement of the status of refugees because the North Korean defectors have no application procedure for the refugee status. Therefore, an institutional procedure has to be prepared at this time. The forced repatriation is prevented after the acknowledgement of the refugee status. And the South may pay for the refugees` stay in China after the acknowledgement of the refugee status. The petition for the protection of the North Korean refugees, which was signed by 11.8 million people, submitted to the U.N. and major press of the world has continuously reported the miserable situation of the North Korean refugees in China.

A small needle, that is, the human conscience, may kill the mammoth of self-centered oppression. The government and the South people should not yield but do their best to grant the refugee status to the North Korean refugees. The government should employ the standard tactics to negotiate with China on the matters of the North Korean refugees.