Shocking news has emerged that 15 North Korean defectors who were attempting to reach South Korea have been apprehended by Chinese police in the border region between China and Southeast Asia.
There are growing concerns that these defectors may face forced repatriation if they are transferred to the North Korea-China border area.
According to News1, the representative of Korea Unification Solidarity, Jang Se Yul, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) yesterday that the Chinese police captured the 15 defectors on the 21st in Kunming, Yunnan Province, which borders Southeast Asia.
Jang reported that among those apprehended were 13 North Korean women and two children, who had gathered from Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces in China. The defectors split into two groups upon reaching Kunming to ensure their safety. However, they were captured by Chinese police just before boarding a speedboat to a Southeast Asian country.
Jang explained, “Both groups had safely arrived in Kunming and merged there. We lost contact after sending a video from the riverside due to the police raid.” He added, “When I checked with another broker, I was informed that they had all been caught by the police at the riverside.”
Kunming, a southern Chinese city, is known as a crucial stop for defectors attempting to reach South Korea via Southeast Asia. Despite its history as a transit point, recent reports indicate that Chinese authorities have significantly increased their crackdown efforts. The defectors are now presumed to have been forcibly transferred to Jilin Province in China.
In response to the report, a South Korean Unification Ministry official commented, “We are in touch with the relevant organizations following the media reports and are currently verifying the details.” The official emphasized, “It is our fundamental position that North Korean defectors residing abroad should never be forcibly repatriated against their will,” according to News1.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that dozens of North Korean defectors were forcibly repatriated from China as early as April.
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