Protect them from evil

North Korean defectors in South Korea hold a press conference yesterday in front of the Chinese Embassy in Hyoja-dong, Jongno District, central Seoul, to urge the Chinese government not to repatriate North Korean refugees to their homeland.

Chinese police arrested about 20 North Korean defectors in Shenyang and Yanji last month. As the North’s only major ally, China does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees and regularly deports them back to the North, where they are said to face severe punishments ranging from torture to execution.

More than 22,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the end of the Korean War, fleeing poverty and political repression in their homeland. Many reach the South after crossing the border into China. Human rights activists believe more than 100,000 North Koreans may still be in China in search of a safe route to the South. [YONHAP]