Activist proposes inter-Korean 'human bridge'
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Chief director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights Yoon Yeo-sang speaks during the Jeju Human Rights Conference, June 30. / Courtesy of Korea Human Rights Foundation
By Choi Ha-young
The two Koreas need to set up a “human bridge” at their border to expand people-to-people exchanges, according to Yoon Yeo-sang, cheif director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB).
“Like an animal bridge that connects lands over a road, I propose the creation of a human bridge in the Demilitarized Zone. As East and West Germany legalized border crossings before their unification, South and North Korea need to let people move across the border,” Yoon told The Korea Times, during Jeju Human Rights Conference.
“This is the only measure that will resolve continuous re-defection and re-entry cases of North Korean defectors,” he said. For years, North Korean woman Kim Ryon-hui has called for her repatriation, claiming she mistakenly arrived in South Korea. However, the Ministry of Unification said her return is impossible under the existing law.
Meanwhile, North Korean authorities have asserted that North Korean restaurant workers who arrived in Seoul last year are being “detained by force” in the South.
“By the declaration, two Koreas can provide a permanent platform for reunions of divided families, Korean War prisoners detained in North Korea and unswerving communists here,” Yoon said.
President Moon has repeatedly vowed to achieve family reunions for those separated since the 1950-53 Korean War.
“Like Germany, the nation should announce it at some point. This is only a matter of time. If there is a security concern, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service needs to look into the process according to its rules. Of course, this is different from unofficial defections from North Korea.”
The NKDB has collected evidence of human rights abuses taking place in North Korea since 2003, in order to establish a framework for punishment against those oppressing North Korean residents.
The decreasing number of defectors is a challenge for the NKDB, since its archiving tasks have largely depended on the refugees as sources.
“We are simply gathering victims’ testimonies and evidence to help the North Koreans sweep away assailants after the unification,” Yoon said. “However, the full process of punishment and social integration is all up to the North Koreans. The South Korean government is not authorized to decide how to use the materials.”