Seven North Korean Defectors in Shanghai Not Extradited to North Korea

It was reported that the seven North Korean defectors who were turned over to the Chinese police after entering an American international school in Shanghai, China on September 27 are still being investigated by the local police.

An authority of the Korean general-consul in Shanghai said, “After hearing the news that the 70 North Korean defectors who were recently arrested in Beijing were forcefully extradited to the North, we confirmed it with the Shanghai police and they responded that they are still under investigation.”

This authority conveyed, “The local police seems to be waiting for an order from the central government. Since the investigation has been prolonged beyond the original expectations, going on for the 40th day, we are paying keen attention to the situation.”

A well-informed source said, “Considering that the U.S. is involved in the matter and that two girls who went into the school with the seven defectors were previously released, we are judging that there is a high probability that they will be sent to South Korea.”

Nonetheless, he added, “As the Chinese government recently switched to a hard-line policy to allow no ‘organized desertions’ through support groups of North Korean defectors and brokers, there is still a possibility that they will be extradited to the North depending on the results of the investigation.”

Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com