North Koreans arrested in Kunming
Print Edition
At least 13 people from North Korea have been arrested in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming while they were trying to reach South Korea.
Chinese police arrested them as they tried to board a bus bound for an unidentified Southeast Asian nation last Friday, Yonhap news agency said yesterday.
The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper also reported the arrests but put the number at 15.
“Most North Korean defectors travel in a group of five at most when crossing the Chinese border to a Southeast Asian nation,” Yonhap said. “It appears that they were trying to save money for hiring brokers who could help them cross the border.”
A spokesman for South Korea’s unification ministry, which handles cross-border affairs, said Seoul was trying to verify the report.
Some 25,000 North Koreans have fled their country to settle in South Korea over the past six decades.
Almost all cross North Korea’s border into China. Many of them then secretly travel through China to a third nation — often in Southeast Asia — where they arrange to fly on to South Korea.
China considers the fugitives to be illegal economic migrants and repatriates them when caught. The fugitives can face severe punishment including a term in a prison camp once they are sent back to North Korea.
Asked about the South Korean reports at a regular briefing, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said: “These people that you have mentioned are not defectors from North Korea, they are illegal border crossers. In dealing with relevant issues we have always abided by domestic law, international law and humanitarian spirit.”
Asked if he was confirming the detainees were North Koreans, he said: “I’m not aware of the specific issue as well as the specific persons involved in the issue.”
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