"UN Silent on 'Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors' Due to China Concerns?"

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights consecutively misses related seminars
"Avoiding China, failing to properly address issues in reports"
Human rights groups send letters... "Must end blatant politicization"

Human rights organizations have urged the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to actively raise issues to prevent North Korean defectors residing in China from being forcibly repatriated. It has been reported that the OHCHR Seoul office was invited to multiple events aimed at preventing the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China but repeatedly declined, leading to criticism that it is cautious of China's stance.

Twelve human rights organizations, including the North Korea Human Rights Citizens' Alliance (NKHR), Transition Justice Working Group (TJWG), and the nonprofit organization Mulmangcho, announced on the 11th that they sent an open letter addressed to Volker T?rk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and James Heenan, head of the OHCHR Seoul office.

A rally appealing to stop the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors is being held in front of the Chinese Embassy.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

These organizations stated, "Recently, the UN OHCHR and the OHCHR Seoul office have refrained from participating in meetings themed around 'preventing the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China' to avoid provoking China," and "recent reports have also avoided mentioning China's forced repatriation of North Korean refugees."

According to government sources, groups such as the National Forum for Unification Preparation requested participation from the Seoul office ahead of an 'Emergency Seminar to Prevent the Forced Repatriation of North Korean Defectors in China' held that day but received no response. Additionally, a lawmaker's office, while preparing a seminar addressing China's forced repatriation issue, inquired about the office's willingness to join but was informed that attendance would be difficult.

However, there is also an assessment that since the office staff are considered 'officials' affiliated with the UN, it would have been difficult to respond to sensitive issues without directives from headquarters. Previously, when OHCHR criticized China for "crimes against humanity" in a report on the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in August last year, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested.

In the letter, the organizations expressed concern, saying, "It is important to hold China accountable for its serious human rights violations against North Korean defectors, but we worry that the office is deliberately remaining silent," and urged, "As an institution that defends human rights, it must end the blatant politicization of this issue," acknowledging that holding the world's most powerful country accountable is not easy.

Meanwhile, OHCHR is a UN-affiliated organization established in 1993 with the purpose of "protecting and promoting human rights worldwide." The Seoul office was opened in 2015 following the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (COI) recommendation to establish an organization to investigate human rights violations in North Korea. However, the office reportedly failed to properly specify China's responsibility for forced repatriation in a report published earlier this year.