On November 4 in Shenyang (瀋陽), China, 10 persons who had escaped from North Korea were arrested, and now all of them, including a three-year old child, are facing forced repatriation.
Rev. Kim Seong-eun of Caleb Mission Society, which supports North Korean residents’ defection and their resettlement in South Korea, said in a telephone interview with Kukmin Daily on the morning of November 5, “Yesterday (the 4th) at around 5 o’clock in the afternoon, 10 former North Korean residents were arrested by the Chinese Public Security Police, and now are imprisoned and undergoing investigation at Shenyang Police Station.”
Rev. Kim said, “The ages of the arrested range from three to 60-something. Many of them were victims of the floods that took place in August and September last year in Hoeryong, North Hamgyeong-do, near the Tumen River, which resulted in enormous casualties and property damage. The main reason for their defection from the North was the harsh living conditions, without food to eat and lacking other life necessities due to the flooding.”
He added, “The defectors fear they may be sent back to North Korea. If they are repatriated, they will receive heavy punishment, possibly even the death penalty, or imprisonment in a political prisoners camp. They are in urgent need of rescue.”
Reporter Yeong Dae Yoo (ydyoo@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Original Article in Korean:
탈북자 10명 중국 선양서 체포… 세 살 아기까지 강제북송 위기
Ten North Korean Defectors Arrested in Shenyang, China
2017-11-07 13:26
