"North Korea UPR Should Address Detained Missionaries and Repatriated Defectors"

CSW, 'UN COI 10th Anniversary' North Korea Human Rights Report
Recommendations Including Issues Ahead of 'North Korea Human Rights Review'
Kim Su-gyeong "Raising International Awareness on Detained Missionaries Issue"

A UK-based international Christian human rights organization has called for active international attention to South Korean missionaries detained in North Korea and North Korean defectors forcibly repatriated. They emphasized that this issue should be raised during the upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of North Korea at the United Nations Human Rights Council in November.

The Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) held a seminar at Yonsei University's Millennium Hall on the 11th and published the "2024 North Korea Human Rights Report." Marking the 10th anniversary of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report on North Korea, the report highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis while reviewing changes over the past decade.

A North Korean defector being dragged out after attempting to enter the Japanese consulate in China in 2012.

The report defines North Korea as a "closed, isolated, and oppressive state." It provides 61 specific recommendations directed at various stakeholders involved in North Korean issues, including ▲North Korea ▲the UN and its member states ▲the UN Security Council ▲the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean human rights ▲the European Union (EU) and its member states ▲China ▲Laos ▲the United States ▲the United Kingdom ▲and civil society.

Under "Recommendations to North Korea," the report condemns the application of "treason against the fatherland" charges to defectors and calls for the cessation of forced repatriation requests to China and other countries. It particularly urges the immediate repatriation of all abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated South Korean prisoners of war, including missionaries Kim Jeong-wook, Kim Guk-gi, and Choi Chun-gil, who have been detained for 10 to 11 years. It also recommends clarifying the whereabouts and well-being of defector refugee Kim Cheol-ok, who was forcibly repatriated from China to North Korea during the large-scale forced repatriation in October last year, and allowing contact with his family.

'2024 North Korea Human Rights Report' published by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

The "Recommendations to the UN and Member States" section contains 19 points, the most among all categories, with quite detailed observations.

CSW pointed out that when referring to perpetrators against North Korean refugees, vague terms like "neighboring countries" should be avoided, and responsible countries such as China or others should be explicitly named. For example, South Korea's Permanent Representative to the UN, Hwang Jun-guk, referred to the South Korean government's position at the UN General Assembly last October by stating that "North Koreans detained in third countries were forcibly repatriated," indirectly referring to China as a "third country."

CSW also demanded that during the upcoming UPR of North Korea at the UN Human Rights Council in November, UN member states should raise questions and recommendations regarding missionaries Kim Jeong-wook, Kim Guk-gi, and Choi Chun-gil, and also question North Korea about defector refugee Kim Cheol-ok and recommend improvements. Specifically mentioning the real names of the subjects, as recommended in the CSW report, could increase pressure on North Korean authorities.

Additionally, the report recommends that China and Laos, which have communist regimes and serve as defection routes, adhere to the principle of non-refoulement and expand asylum and ongoing protection measures for those who have escaped North Korea. It also notably calls on the responsible but unspecified "civil society" to actively seek ways to break down North Korea's information barriers through television and radio broadcasts.

Kim Soo-kyung, Vice Minister of Unification Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Soo-kyung, Vice Minister of Unification, stated, "We will make every effort and provide government-level support so that the North Korea UPR becomes an opportunity for the international community to raise firm and strong voices against human rights violations, including religious persecution." He emphasized, "We will work hard to ensure this serves as an opportunity to raise international awareness about the issue of missionaries Kim Jeong-wook, Kim Guk-gi, and Choi Chun-gil, who have been detained in North Korea for over 10 years and have not returned to their families."

CSW is a London-based Christian persecution monitoring organization. In April 2017, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) accredited CSW as a consultative organization allowed to attend meetings of the UN Human Rights Council and its subsidiary bodies. CSW has been actively engaged in activities such as publishing North Korea human rights reports since 2007 and advocating for the establishment of the UN COI. The 2014 UN COI report also cited CSW's reports.