S. Korea’s protection of NK defectors questioned
The latest return of a North Korean defector, Im Ji-hyun, to the North is stirring up concerns here over loopholes in the government’s programs to ensure defectors’ safety and smooth settlement.
Im is among 25 defectors who returned to North Korea and appeared on the country’s propaganda media outlets to testify against the South since its leader Kim Jong-un seized power in December 2011.
Some of the 25 are believed to have voluntarily re-entered the repressive state, but others are believed to have been kidnapped by North Korean agents while visiting China-North Korea border regions, according to sources.
It is not known whether Im is among the former or the latter.
Using the name Jeon Hye-sung, Im appeared in a video released by propaganda website Uriminzokkiri on July 9. She claimed she was back with her family after suffering in the materialistic South.
Some defectors have called on the government to overhaul its programs to protect them, under which around 700 police are responsible for looking after more than 30,000 defectors.
The police classify the defectors into three categories according to their profiles, careers and social backgrounds in the North.
Most belong to the third and lowest category and rarely receive police attention once they complete six months of training to adapt to South Korean society, the sources said.
Im belonged to the third category.
“The police no longer guarantee the safety of those in the third category after the six-month training,” a source said. “The police only call them occasionally to check if they are well.”
Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the Bareun Party said the government paid less attention to former defectors who returned to the North than non-defector South Koreans who are found to be in the repressive state, although the former are also South Korean citizens.
According to Ha, the Ministry of Unification has never demanded that Pyongyang verify whether the 25 people went back voluntarily or forcibly. “The ministry only asked the North to ensure the safety of those detained there only when they were born and raised in the South,” Ha said.
“It’s evident that the ministry has not treated so-called ‘pure South Korean citizens’ and the defectors equally,” Ha said. “The defectors are also South Korean citizens, so the government should have checked how the 25 defectors landed in the North again.”
An Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies in Seoul, said defectors in the South should be self-reliant in ensuring their own safety.
“There are too many of us and the police can’t take care of each one,” he said. “Moreover, some defectors see it as infringement of human rights if police officers contact them, as they want to be left alone.
“Given the circumstances, it is the best solution for defectors to keep in touch with others more often and make sure they are fine.”