On December 5 when we met him at Kukmin Daily in Yeouido, Seoul, Mr. Lee held in his hands the citizenship certificate of his wife Ms. Ku (24) and their son’s birth certificate. They were clearly marked “Democratic Republic of Korea” (North Korea). He also showed us several photos of his family from happy times in the past.
Looking dejected, but catching his breath, he said, “Ten defectors including my family were repatriated. I’d had big expectations after the Chinese foreign ministry went so far as to say in its briefing that the defectors issue was being handled according to legal and humanitarian principles.” He wept as he spoke.
After his defection in May 2005, Lee settled in South Korea. From then on, he focused his efforts on bringing his wife and son from the North. He said he spent 30 million won on “rescue costs” in the process of their defection.
“I am praying for the safety of my wife and son. Day after day, I pray in tears. But since they were sent back North just before they were to depart for the South, I also feel a little resentful toward God. I think I’ve lived as a good person, doing no harm to others, so for God to give me this ordeal… Please help me not to lose the core of faith I have come to believe in since coming to this land.”
On November 29, Lee and other North Korean defectors held a demonstration (top photo) in front of the Chinese Embassy in Myeongdong, Seoul. Standing in line with the others at this 400th gathering calling for an end to forced repatriation of North Korean escapees, Lee suddenly took the mike. “Thinking that my four-year-old son is probably in prison, I can hardly breathe. I have nightmares that my kid is crying and searching for daddy. Unless I do something, I can’t stand it.”
His voice gradually grew stronger. “The Chinese government’s forcible repatriation of North Korean defectors is an act of murder, sending them to die. I’ve come here in the midst of sadness and shock because I hope that no other defector will be hit with this kind of misfortune. I sincerely appeal for North Korean defectors to be allowed to go to places of their own choosing.”
Reporter Yeong Dae Yoo (ydyoo@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Top photo by senior reporter Kang Min Seok
Original Article in Korean:
“北으로 끌려간 네 살 외아들 눈에 밟혀… 하나님, 구해 주세요”: 지난달 가족 강제 북송된 탈북민 이태원씨의 애끊는 호소
Related Article:
Ten North Korean Defectors Arrested in Shenyang, China
