ED Forced repatriation
Time to reveal truth about North Korean fishermen
The Ministry of Unification on Tuesday released photos of two North Korean fishermen who were forcibly repatriated to the North via the truce village of Panmunjeom even though they expressed their intention to defect to South Korea in 2019. The photos taken by a ministry official for record-keeping purposes shows a defector with his hands bound by rope desperate not to cross the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
Another fisherman covered his face apparently in despair near the MDL. He collapsed while struggling not to cross the line. Both men were gagged and blindfolded. Despite their fierce resistance, however, they were handed over to the North Korean military. The ministry unveiled 10 relevant photos at the request of the National Assembly.
Despite being criminal suspects, such forced repatriation could be considered a brutal act that should not have happened in a democratic country advocating human rights like the Republic of Korea. The fishermen were likely executed upon returning to the North. The Article 3 of the Constitution defines the entire Korean Peninsula and its islands as South Korean territory, and North Koreans should be regarded as our nationals once they enter the South. Despite this stipulation, the previous Moon Jae-in administration braved such an anti-humanitarian act simply to curry favor with the Kim Jong-un regime.
The two fishermen were captured by the South Korean Navy on Nov. 2, 2019, while sailing on a small wooden boat. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) wrapped up its investigation into the case in only three days, notifying the North of its intent to send them back. Even if they committed crimes in the North as Seoul authorities claimed, it appeared to be a reckless move, to some extent, to repatriate them to the North against their will too hurriedly. Furthermore, the ministry said they clarified their intention to defect in a note.
On Wednesday, the presidential office vowed to lay bare the facts behind the case. Presidential spokesperson Kang In-sun said that the repatriation of the fishermen could constitute a “crime against humanity” in violation of both the Constitution and international law.
The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), a civic group, filed a complaint Tuesday against ranking officials of the Moon administration such as Chung Eui-yong, then head of the National Security Office, and former NIS Director Suh Hoon over their roles in the forced repatriation.
The Moon government has already come under severe criticism for failing to prevent the death of a fisheries official who was shot dead by the North Korean military in September 2020 in the West Sea. It is also suspected of covering up the case to falsely conclude that the official was attempting to defect to the North. Yet the Coast Guard and the Ministry of National Defense announced last month that they could not find any evidence backing the defection allegations. Now the new Yoon Suk-yeol government should go all out to get to the bottom of the case.