North Korea Breaks 'Principle of Humanitarian Repatriation'... North Side Still 'Silent'

141 South Koreans and 22 North Koreans Humanitarian Repatriation Since Kim Jong Un's Rule
Possibility of Extreme Measures to Prevent COVID-19 Influx

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The controversy is growing over the incident in which North Korean soldiers shot and burned the body of a South Korean civilian, breaking the long-standing practice of humanitarian repatriation of residents crossing the border between the South and the North. The South and North have adhered to the principle of investigating residents who defect northward or southward through border areas and repatriating them to their home countries.

According to the Ministry of Unification on the 25th, since Kim Jong-un took power, North Korean Chairman of the State Affairs Commission has returned 22 South Korean residents who defected northward, and during the same period, the South investigated 141 North Korean residents who defected southward and returned them to the North according to their will. Especially since 2000, as inter-Korean relations improved, North Korea has investigated and repatriated most defectors northward, and in October 2013, publicly repatriated six South Korean residents who had defected northward through Panmunjom, attracting attention.

In addition, there have been many cases where the North notified first of its intention to return defectors northward while the South Korean government was unaware of their defection. In 2014, the Central Committee of the North Korean Red Cross sent a traditional letter to the South, informing that a man in his 50s had defected northward via a third country due to hardship, and notified that Mr. Kim would be returned through Panmunjom. The South agreed to take custody, and the repatriation was carried out on the same day. In 2018, two South Korean residents who illegally entered North Korea were repatriated in two separate instances.

However, with the incident on the 21st where a public official, Mr. Lee (47), who was missing while performing fishery guidance duties, was shot and his body burned by the North, criticism has arisen that the North broke the humanitarian repatriation principle maintained so far. Considering that in July, a defector from Kaesong defected northward, prompting a high-level alert in the Kaesong area, there is growing weight to the possibility that the North took extreme measures to prevent the inflow of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The North has yet to provide an explanation regarding this incident. However, shooting a South Korean resident who attempted to defect northward to prevent COVID-19 inflow and burning the body is considered an inhumane act, making it difficult to avoid international condemnation.

On the same day, the U.S. Department of State expressed full support for the South Korean government's position regarding this incident. A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department told Voice of America (VOA), "We fully support South Korea's condemnation of North Korea's actions and the demand for a full explanation from North Korea."

The U.S. non-governmental organization, the North Korea Human Rights Committee (HRNK), also emphasized, "No country cruelly takes innocent lives and burns bodies to prevent COVID-19," adding, "This is an international issue, and without human rights, there is no peace."