Latest defector event may complicate fate of 39 now in Korean missions, Seoul fears

The South Korean government on Tuesday said China should not repatriate seven North Koreans who were arrested while trying to enter the Chinese Foreign Ministry building. The group reportedly sought refugee status and demonstrated in the compound, calling on the Chinese government to change its policies on defectors.

"We are looking into facts with Chinese officials," said a foreign ministry official. "But the government's basic stance on the issue is that the group should not be repatriated to the North if they are North Korean escapers."

The ministry official said government choices in dealing with the incident are limited, as it is the first time North Koreans have officially asked the Chinese government for refugee status. Other defectors this year have sought asylum in the foreign missions of China and won passage to the South via third countries. "We will use prudence, as there are many North Korean defectors in the South Korean missions in China," he said.

There are 39 North Koreans in South Korean missions in China. Beijing has granted permission to 21 of them to leave. But their departure may be delayed due to the latest incident, the official said. "Beijing may likely intensify its crackdown on North Korean defectors," he said.

China has made no official statement on Monday's incident but is reportedly investigating it.

The Foreign Ministry official said that an international nongovernment organization is thought to have organized the incident. If that turns out to be true, he said, it would raise questions about the integrity of the organization. Most North Korean defectors who sought asylum by entering foreign missions in China have found their way into the South, since China pledged to determine their fate according to international law and humanitarian principles. Beijing thus has guaranteed that such asylum-seekers can leave for the South. Yet the nongovernment organization, by attempting to secure asylum status for the defectors, has compromised their position, the official said.

Observers said that Beijing would likely look upon the incident as a challenge to its system, as it believes that granting refugee status to North Korean defectors would set off independence drives among ethnic minorities within China.

"Beijing is aware that the entry of seven North Korean defectors was fixed around the visit of Richard L. Armitage, U.S. deputy secretary of state, to China," said a government official.

by Oh Young-hwan, Yoo Kwang-jong