International Human Rights Group Claims "At Least 406 North Korean Defectors Forcibly Repatriated by China Since Last Year"

 Officials from civic groups hold a press conference in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, in May of last year, urging China to halt the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. (File photo, the image is not directly related to the article)

An international human rights group has claimed that at least 406 North Korean defectors appear to have been forcibly repatriated by Chinese authorities since last year.

According to a press release posted on its website on the 19th, Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimated this figure based on information from an individual named "Steven Kim" (alias), who possesses an extensive information network in North Korea and China.

The organization explained that it has long assessed the reports of forced repatriations based on this individual's information network as credible.

Specifically, the group included 108 North Korean workers who were repatriated after instigating a violent incident in protest of unpaid wages in Helong City, Jilin Province, China, in January of last year, and 212 North Korean women, victims of human trafficking, who were detained in Kunming, Nanning, and Pingxiang cities before being repatriated last year.

With the addition of this latest tally, the group estimates that at least 1,076 North Korean defectors have been forcibly repatriated since 2020.

"Chinese authorities are sending hundreds of North Korean defectors back to North Korea, knowing they will face severe persecution," pointed out Evelyn Lee, senior researcher for Asia at Human Rights Watch.

The organization urged China to immediately allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to those at risk of forced repatriation and to disclose all figures related to detained and repatriated North Korean defectors. Yonhap News