Eight Defectors May Come to Seoul Via Third Country

The Korean government is ready to accept the five relatives of Chang Gil-Soo family who was arrested when they tired to enter the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyan, Liaoning Province, China, via a third country, according to diplomatic sources in Beijing, China on Mary 13.

The informed sources said, `Five relative of Gil-Soo and three defectors who entered the compound of the US Consulate General all demand to go to the United States, but since China and the United States have negative opinions on the demand, the departure to Korea via a third country is emerging as the most realistic alternative,` and added, `The Korean government is also expecting the diplomatic row between China and Japan might calm down through the measure.`

Spokesperson of the Japanese government, minister of government affairs Fukuda Yasuo, said in the day that the Japanese government has already transferred its willingness to accept the proposal to send the defectors to South Korea to China if five North Koreans arrested by the Chinese police want to go to South Korea.

Spokesperson Jennifer May of the Canadian Embassy in Beijing said on the fate of two defectors entered into the embassy building, `We are now talking with Chinese authority and expect some progress,` but refused to say any specific details.

In relation to the entrance of Chinese armed policemen into the premise of the Japanese Consulate General and forcible seizure of the defectors, Japanese foreign minister Kawaguchi Yoriko announced the investigative report saying `The consulate general has not consented the entrance of the Chinese police nor approved of forcible seizure of North Koreans.` This statement flatly rejected the Chinese claim, `The accident is not a violation of the Vienna Convention as we are approved of prior to the incident and was thanked for that,` which have intensified diplomatic rows between China and Japan.

Foreign minister Kawaguchi announced the results based on a report of the on-sight investigation headed by director-general of the consular affairs and migration office of the foreign ministry Ono Masaaki and urged again to transfer North Korean defectors to the Japanese side and the apology of China. The Japanese government will launch a negotiation with China by dispatching vice minister of the foreign ministry Sugiura Seiken soon.

In other hand, the Washington Post in the United States criticized the forcible seizure of the five relatives of Gil-Soo family in the compound of the Japanese Consulate General by the Chinese armed police as it was the violation of the international laws and urged China to protect the defectors under the international refugee protection treaty.

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