Three North Korean Defectors in Laos Likely to Be Released Soon

The Korean ambassador to Laos Park Jae-hyun said on Friday, “We are making every effort to bring safely home the three North Korean teenagers held in a Laos prison. Things are not quite certain yet, but we believe that there will be some positive results.”

In a telephone interview with Yonhap News, he added, “The Korean government fully understands the significance of this issue and is doing its best to bring about tangible results.”

Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted a Washington activist who is trying to free those North Korean defectors as saying, “The U.S. government’s efforts to help win their release is running smoothly with diplomatic cooperation with the Laos government. The three North Korean youths will not be sent back to the North.”

He said that the U.S. government is paying a lot of attention to the safety of the North Koreans who are exhausted from four months of imprisonment. He added, “The spring holiday is coming up soon, so they are likely to be free within a few days.”

Meanwhile, the Korean ambassador presented a complaint by Kato Hiroshi, the secretary general of Life Funds for North Korean Refugees, a Japanese North Korean refugee fund, that the South Korean government never paid a visit to the North Korean teen-age refugees. He said, “The three North Koreans have North Korean citizenship, so the government’s ability to officially intervene was limited in this issue since we don’t have jurisdiction.”