By Kang Seung-woo
The government’s disclosure on North Koreans that defected here has triggered speculation that it is trying to rally support among conservative voters ahead of Wednesday’s general election.
The unification ministry announced on Friday that a group of 13 North Koreans who worked at a restaurant operated by the regime in China arrived in Seoul a day earlier. In addition, the ministry said on Monday that a ranking North Korean military officer defected to South Korea last year.
The announcements came with less than a week before the general election to fill 300 seats of the National Assembly. There is considerable focus on whether the ruling Saenuri Party will be able to secure a majority of seats.
“The government disclosed details of the defections of 13 North Korean restaurant staff before the National Intelligence Service conducted an investigation into them. It violated the practice that the government should not make public such defections to prevent their families in the North from being put in danger,” said Minjoo Party of Korea spokesman Kim Sung-soo on Monday.
“The sudden, rare announcement has heightened suspicions that the government did so to win votes from conservative groups.”
Analysts studying North Korea also said that the government’s disclosure seems to be related to the general election.
“The government is politically taking advantage of the issue in order to promote President Park’s tough stance as well as that international sanctions on North Korea are working in order to appeal to conservative voters,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute.
He added that it is an established principle that relevant government offices investigate defectors first, but not reveal personal information about them to avoid possible threats to the safety of their families who remain in the North.
“The government’s behavior has raised doubt over whether the government is willing to remain neutral in elections ― which is a cornerstone of democracy,” Cheong said.
Another analyst who did not want to be identified said, “The announcement of the mass defection could cause a diplomatic problem if Seoul helped their escape without the Chinese government’s knowledge. In addition, the disclosure may make it harder for other North Koreans to defect.”
“Without careful consideration of the consequences, the government issued information about the defections as a form of political strategy ahead of the election,” the analyst said.
Following the group defection last week, the largest that has occurred since Kim Jong-un took power in 2011, the government has been keen to stress that it may deal a major blow to the North Korean regime, but analysts do not buy into this idea.
“It is premature that the United Nations resolution that was adopted on March 2 is already having an effect on the North,” said the analyst said.
Meanwhile, the Hankyoreh, a liberal news daily, reported on Monday, citing multiple government officials, that Cheong Wa Dae ordered the unification ministry to make the unscheduled announcement about the mass defection on Friday afternoon, despite opposition from the ministry.
However, the presidential office said the newspaper story was untrue.