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| Chinese paramilitary police officers patrol in front of the Indian Embassy in Beijing in this June 17, 2020, file photo. AFP-Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
The Chinese foreign ministry has denied allegations that its government is operating a "secret police station" in Korea to monitor and terrorize Chinese nationals as part of Beijing's efforts to keep them under its influence.
"China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, strictly observed international law and respected the judicial sovereignty of all countries," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a press conference, Thursday. "The so-called 'overseas police stations' simply do not exist."
The comment came after a Spain-based human rights group, Safeguard Defenders, reported that the United Front Work Department, a Chinese Communist Party body that coordinates influence operations in China and abroad, is operating more than 100 secret police stations in at least 53 countries, including Korea.
The report accused the Chinese government agency of exploring a new model of using overseas Chinese residents to control other ethnic Chinese people living in the same country, as well as hiring Chinese students in Korea and several other countries as "overseas liaison officers to cooperate with domestic officers both internally and externally."
In Korea, authorities began investigating whether there were such activities, which could amount to violations of international law, and news reports allege that the authorities have suspicions about a Chinese restaurant operated by a Chinese entity in southern Seoul.
The Chosun Ilbo, a local newspaper, reported Friday that counterespionage authorities have suspicions about the restaurant due to its parent company's suspicious profit flow and sudden notice that it would suspend operations after the Safeguard Defenders report gained international attention.
A spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said in a statement that "the report is groundless" and there is "no such thing as the so-called overseas police stations."
"For the past several years, Chinese police and prosecution have been maintaining high-level cooperation with their Korean counterparts," the spokesperson said. "We express our regret about the groundless reports and hope for practical efforts to promote friendship and understanding between the two countries' people."
In response, Korea's foreign ministry said it was communicating with local relevant organizations, adding that any foreign agencies active here must be operated in compliance with relevant domestic and international laws.
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