Drug Trafficker Execution Raises Diplomatic Conflict between Korea and China

The diplomatic conflict between Korea and China has been deepened on the issue of China`s execution of a Korean drug trafficker Mr. Shin (41). Chinese government argued that it took proper diplomatic measures, including prior notification to Seoul, and claimed to stop the groundless blaming to Beijing. But the Korean government refuted Beijing`s claim by saying that ``the government did not received any prior notification.``

While Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said that the Chinese government notified the imposition of the death penalty to Korean government, the Korean Embassy in Beijing (Ambassador Kim Hg-Jung) claimed, ``The embassy re-examined the documents receiving records of the embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Shenyang, there was no record about the notification.``

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) also said, ``The foreign affairs department of Heilongjiang provincial government sent only two official documents, which notified the arrest of Shin and his colleagues in July 1997 and Mr. Jeong`s death in prison in November 2000. Thus Chinese government`s claim is wrong.`` An official of the MFAT continued. ``A Chinese Foreign Ministry official presented, on Nov. 1st, the copies of the two documents that Beijing claimed as the copies that it sent to the Korean Embassy in Beijing. But we strongly requested Beijing to re-investigate the notification route of the documents because the embassy should not had treated the document carelessly.`` The Chinese government gave the copies of the documents that it claimed that had been delivered to Korean Embassy to an official of the embassy when he visited Chinese Foreign Ministry, and blamed Korean government`s claim, ``The Chinese government did not give the prior notification.`` through Xinhua News Agency.