Demonstrations Around the World Today Against PRC’s Repatriation of NK Refugees
A little before 1 p.m. today across the street from the Chinese embassy in Seoul 40+ people gathered to remind the Chinese government of a commitment it made 27 years ago today. On September 24, 1982, the PRC signed the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, the major international agreements which lay out how signatory governments say they will handle refugees.
Today’s demonstration in Seoul was one of approximately a dozen scheduled for September 24 around the world. They are being coordinated by the North Korea Freedom Coalition.
Though North Korean refugees in China face harsh interrogation, imprisonment, usually forced labor, and even sometimes execution — simply for the crime of leaving their country to search for a means to feed their family — the Chinese government systematically rounds them up and repatriates them anyway. When asked why they do not honor their international agreements related to protecting refugees, the PRC claims that North Korean refugees are economic migrants.
Below the fold are more photos from today’s event in Seoul, info on a group of 9 North Korean refugees who’ve entered an embassy in Hanoi, and a reminder about a major conference on NK Human Rights tomorrow in Seoul.
They sure found the perfect person to read the petition. This guy had nice, big voice.
The reporter above said she was from Swiss National TV.
The man being interviewed above is Suh Suk Koo. He is a lawyer from Daegu and organized the Seoul gathering.
The photos immediately above and below are from before the bulk of the people arrived.
So far, I only see a couple pieces in the Korean media about the demonstration here and here. The first link includes a photo that I think shows the group’s leaders submitting the petition to the embassy. The second makes it very clear that it was conservative groups that were conducting the demonstration. Very true, but alas, that means most young people won’t even bother to read beyond the headline.
But to leave on a positive note, a group of 9 North Korean refugees has safely entered the Danish embassy in Vietnam. Or read a much shorter blurb in Korean.
Also, just a quick reminder about tomorrow’s International Conference on North Korean Human Rights (here’s a summary in English) on the 20th floor of the Seoul Press Center in Gwanghwamun. That’s 9-5 p.m. Friday, September 25th. Based on last year, this is one to go to. It will be fairly big, and there will be translation devices for non-Korean speakers.