`N.Korea shifts to secretly punishing captured defectors`

North Korea`s Public Security Ministry is secretly prosecuting defectors repatriated to the North from China instead of publicly executing them, a South Korean lawmaker said Monday.

Rep. Park Sun-young of the minor conservative Liberty Forward Party quoted sources on North Korea in China as saying the ministry has ordered that no repatriated defectors be put to death and that they be isolated to prevent them from mingling with ordinary criminals or residents.

"Amid mounting criticism and pressure from the international community, which says the repatriation of defectors violates human rights, Pyongyang has apparently changed its method of handling defectors,” she said.

"In a recent North Korean Cabinet meeting, some figures reportedly said, `Let`s not trust China. ` Since the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, we`ve had no reason to be wary of China."

This response apparently came after Beijing grew critical of Pyongyang`s planned launch of a long-range rocket in summit talks between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

zeitung@donga.com