Fate unknown of many returned to DPR Korea from China remains a critical issue three years after large-scale forcible repatriations resumed, according to Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts. In a press release published on Wednesday, the experts stated that no information exists regarding the current whereabouts and treatment of those who were sent back or remain at risk of repatriation. Without independent monitoring in either nation, a multitude of returnees stay unaccounted for, reflecting a prolonged pattern of grave human rights violations directed at individuals sent back to the country. As long as their locations and conditions are hidden, returnees lack fundamental safeguards against arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, execution, sexual and gender-based violence, forced labor, and additional severe abuses.
Individual Cases and Non-Refoulement Concerns
Among those affected are women who left the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and subsequently fell victim to forced marriage, trafficking, and sexual exploitation. One such case is Kim Cheol-ok, who fled the DPRK during the 1990s famine and was trafficked to China as a child. Married at age 14, she experienced forced pregnancy and sexual violence. Even after residing in China for approximately 25 years and building family connections, she encountered harassment and restrictions because of her irregular status. Chinese authorities detained her in April 2023 without granting access to legal representation, and she was forcibly sent back in October 2023, with her current fate remaining a mystery. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined in 2024 that her detention by both China and the DPRK was arbitrary. Reports since 2023 highlight serious abuses against returnees seen as asylum seekers or unauthorized departures, bringing the principle of non-refoulement into question. This principle dictates that no individual should be sent back to a territory where they face genuine risks of torture, persecution, or inhuman treatment, with experts stressing that irregular migration status does not remove the duty to respect this principle.
Calls for Action and International Warnings
The experts noted that persistent barriers continue to block information regarding returnees, including those held in political prison camps and individuals currently facing the threat of forcible return from China. They urged China to adhere to the principle of non-refoulement, stop repatriating North Koreans, and guarantee access to fair procedures to evaluate international protection needs. Furthermore, they called upon Pyongyang to reveal the fate and whereabouts of all returnees. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Wednesday that serious human rights violations in the DPRK persist and must not be permitted to slip from global attention, while the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council on Thursday that the DPRK’s ongoing pursuit of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons remains a matter of serious concern.
Source: Cosmo News Desk
