The Essence of the Case: Did the Forced Repatriated Defectors Really Kill 16 People?

Han Gi-ho Receives Reports of Brokered North Korean Defector Fishermen
Doubts on Whether Forced Deportation of 'Violent Criminals' Was Justified
Democratic Party Finds It Hard to Believe Claims Based on 'Kaderra' References

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] “The Moon Jae-in administration's announcement that 16 people were killed was false. The 16 were residents from five households attempting to defect from Kimchaek City. The claim that 16 people were killed was a lie made to repatriate two North Korean defector brokers, and it is said that the Moon Jae-in administration confirmed this through a joint interrogation.”

Han Ki-ho, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the National Security Disorder Investigation Task Force, made this claim on the 20th during the 3rd meeting based on testimonies from defectors.

The so-called defector brokers mentioned here are two North Korean fishermen who were forcibly repatriated in 2019. They had come aboard a squid fishing boat and were known as ‘heinous criminals’ who killed 16 people who were on the boat with them at the time. The Moon Jae-in administration, citing this danger, sent them back through ‘deportation,’ a repatriation method not used even once in the past 10 years. Despite having written a handwritten letter expressing their intention to defect, their sincerity was doubted due to the presumption that they were heinous criminals. The two who were sent back to the North are presumed to have died.

Han’s claim cannot yet be definitively confirmed as true. This is because no proper materials that can verify and prove this have been publicly released. Recently, offices of lawmakers belonging to the National Security Disorder TF have been flooded with tips related to this repatriation incident. These range from claims that one of the repatriated fishermen might be their own son to assertions that four people were killed.

Tae Young-ho, Han Ki-ho, and Ji Sung-ho, members of the People Power Party, hold a press conference on the 22nd at the National Assembly Communication Office, urging the truth to be revealed about the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Regardless of how many people the repatriated fishermen killed while heading south, or whether they were truly defector brokers, the essence of this incident is that they were forcibly deported without following proper legal procedures at the time. According to data received by People Power Party lawmaker Jeon Ju-hye’s office from the Ministry of Unification, since 2010, a total of 276 North Korean residents (in 67 cases) have come south by sea. Among them, the only cases of deportation despite expressing intent to defect were the two North Korean fishermen forcibly repatriated in 2019.

TF member lawmaker Tae Yong-ho also said in a CBS radio interview on the 22nd, “The joint interrogation (Hapshin) materials indicate that they committed murder. It seems they made such confessions,” adding, “No matter how much fabrication or distortion there is, would anyone confess to killing someone if they hadn’t? I don’t know what techniques were used to extract such confessions, but I think it is a fact that they at least verbally admitted to murder.”

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

However, he emphasized, “From the defectors’ perspective, even assuming they are heinous criminals, there is no law in our constitution or current law that allows forced deportation, so even if they are murderers, forced deportation was wrong.”

The Democratic Party of Korea dismissed this as a North Korea scare tactic and called it an unbelievable claim based on hearsay. Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at a policy coordination meeting on the 21st, “I hope they do not mislead the public with false claims that cannot properly disclose evidence,” adding, “Are you saying that the human rights of South Korean citizens should be threatened to protect the human rights of two heinous criminals? The claim that deporting heinous criminals is kowtowing to Kim Jong-un is also absurd.”