1 of 2 | North Korean defector Kim Geum-seong attends a news conference in Seoul on March 12 calling on China to halt the forced repatriation of his mother. Photo by Asia Today
March 12 (Asia Today) — A North Korean defector in South Korea pleaded with Chinese authorities on Wednesday to stop the forced repatriation of his mother, warning that the case could signal a renewed wave of deportations of North Korean escapees.
Kim Geum-seong, 22, who arrived in South Korea in 2019, made the appeal during an emergency news conference held by Amnesty International Korea in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul.
“Mom, it is still cold outside, and Chinese prisons must be even colder and harder,” Kim said through tears. “Why must someone risk their life just to see the child they long to meet?”
According to activists, Kim’s mother crossed the Yalu River in 2019, sending her son to South Korea while remaining in China, where she later established a family. She was arrested in January last year while attempting to travel to South Korea through a third country and is now being held at a detention facility in China’s Jilin Province.
Kim joined the Amnesty International event after learning that his mother could soon be forcibly repatriated to North Korea.
Choi Jae-hoon, senior manager for North Korean human rights at Amnesty International Korea, warned that defectors returned to North Korea face severe punishment.
“If they are forcibly repatriated, they face torture, arbitrary detention, forced labor, deliberate starvation, sexual violence, enforced disappearance, forced abortion, political prison camps and even execution,” Choi said.
The group urged China to halt forced repatriations, allow defectors access to the United Nations refugee agency and guarantee safe passage to third countries.
Kim Tae-hoon, who operates a group home for young North Korean defectors and serves as Kim’s legal guardian, said a guard at the detention facility told the woman’s Chinese husband that repatriation could occur soon.
He added that at least three other North Korean defectors were reportedly being held at the same facility.
Activists say large-scale forced repatriations of North Korean defectors have not occurred in recent years, partly amid shifting diplomatic dynamics involving North Korea, China and Russia.
China previously deported groups of defectors in 2023 and 2024, raising concerns among human rights advocates that new repatriations could resume.
Some activists believe deportations could take place soon after the conclusion of China’s annual “Two Sessions” political meetings on Wednesday.
An activist who asked not to be identified said China has quietly continued deporting defectors, particularly those who attempted to travel to South Korea.
In cases where defectors have established families in China, however, intervention by Chinese relatives has sometimes helped prevent repatriation, the activist said.
Meanwhile, the Seoul-based North Korean Human Rights Information Center said earlier this month that China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors could constitute crimes against humanity.
The organization said it has begun compiling a database identifying Chinese officials involved in repatriation decisions, including public security authorities in Liaoning and Jilin provinces.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
About the Author
