Beijing confirm‍s North Korean defectors at detention center

The Chinese government officially confirmed to the South Korean government that it has arrested and is investigating Kim Gwang-ho and his family who re-defected from North Korea. A South Korean government source said Thursday, “After it was rumored that Kim’s family was arrested in Yanbian, China last Wednesday, we requested Beijing to confirm whether the claim is true or not. And we were told that China is investigating those who South Korea might be interested in.”

Seoul formally requested a consular meeting to Kim, his wife and his child who have Korean nationality with an aim to stop Kim’s family from being sent back to the North. It also requested to Beijing that Kim’s two in-laws who have no Korean nationality should be treated as they want to on the humanitarian level. Beijing, however, is said to have given no response to the request for a consular meeting.

China classifies North Korean defectors as illegal border crossers. Accordingly, Kim and his family are expected to be under investigation for violating laws related to immigration. In addition, it is unlikely to allow a consular meeting until it completes investigations on the process Kim and his family defected from North Korea and supporting organizations for the defector. Kim Yeong-hwan, a North Korea human rights activist who was caught in China in March 2012, was permitted to have a meeting with a South Korean diplomat in 29 days after detention.

“We have learned that Kim and his family are detained in a facility in downtown Yanji, not the Tumen concentration camp that contains North Korean defectors before China sends them back to North Korea,” Rep. Ha Tae-kyung of the ruling Saenuri Party said. “It appears that there is room for persuasion to discourage Beijing from sending them to the North Korea.”

Kim and his wife who had lived in the South since 2009 returned to North Korea to bring his family back to the South at the end of last year. They recently defected the North again but were caught by the Chinese police.

It is said that six North Korean defectors who arrived in China in the similar period as Kim are staying in Yanbian. Some claimed that it is urgently needed to provide security protection for them.

An employee of a volunteer organization for North Korean defectors said in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo said Thursday, “Though the six defectors moved to a new place after Kim was arrested, but they cannot relocate their stay because of a strong crackdown by Chinese police. A South Korean foreign ministry source said, “We will check facts and try to find ways to protect them.”