American School in Shanghai Refuses Refuge to Nine North Korean Defectors

It was reported by local sources on September 30 that nine North Korean defectors entered the American International School in Shanghai, China, on August 27, but were transferred to the public security office by school authorities.

Local sources said, “The North Korean defectors were taken away by the Chinese police after entering the school,” and added, “These people were begging for help, but were eventually transferred to the Chinese public security office which received a call from the school authorities.”

The fact that these people were passed over to the Chinese public security office was belatedly made public when school authorities were informing parents of the incident in a report.

Local sources said, “The school authorities explained that they could not help the North Korean defectors as they are not a diplomatic facility, and emphasized the fact that the North Korean defectors should receive prior approval in cases where they enter a public facility,” and added, “I understand that the school asked the defectors to leave because they were in the middle of a class.”

The North Korean defectors who entered the American school consisted of one male and eight females aged in their teens to the fifties.

Although the incident of transferring North Korean defectors to the Chinese public security office occurred on August 28, before the U.S. House of Representatives passed a North Korean human rights bill, it is expected to provoke controversy from the humanitarian aspect.

In a similar case in Beijing, the German-government operated school is on the grounds of the German diplomatic apartment building and is therefore considered a semi-diplomatic facility. The Japanese-government operated school that 29 North Korean defectors entered on the first of last month has had a history of protecting these people despite not being a diplomatic facility.

On the other hand, the Chinese government strongly criticized the North Korean defectors involved in the case of 44 North Korean defectors entering the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, and requested the Canadian authorities to transfer these people to them.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Assistant Shen Guofang said, “China is opposed to unidentified people entering foreign Embassies due to security reasons,” and insisted, “The Canadian authorities should transfer these people to China because these people entered Chinese territory.”

As China is requesting the transfer of the North Koreans and offering a breach of domestic law as a reason, the North Koreans who entered the American school and the matter of their future whereabouts are attracting attention.

However, because Shen reaffirmed his existing position by saying, “We will handle these people based on international law, domestic law, and the spirit of humanitarian aid,” prospects that the North Korean defectors will be transferred to South Korea are also emerging.

Meanwhile, the 43 North Korean defectors who entered the Canadian Embassy are undergoing an identification process at the present, and most are hoping for a transfer to South Korea.

Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com