Kim Myungsung

SAND's Secretary

General Editor for the SAND Newsletter

⦁   China sends some 600 defectors back to North Korea on the night of the 9th

⦁   Hamas Uses North Korean Weapons and Tunneling Technology in Attacks on Israel

China sends some 600 defectors back to North Korea on the night of the 9th

Some 600 North Koreans may have been repatriated from China following the Asian Games, according to multiple rights groups.  

“Forced repatriation of North Korean defectors imprisoned at several border regions between North Korea and China, including Dandong in Liaoning Province, and Hunchun, Tumen, Nanping, and Changbai in Jilin Province, appears to have taken place simultaneously”, said Justice for North Korea, an NGO on North Korean human rights, in a statement on Wednesday. 

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The group estimated the mass repatriation occurred at around 8 p.m. on Monday(9th), shortly after the conclusion of the Hangzhou Asian Games. The deportees reportedly included young children.  

“In some areas, there were allegedly North Korean security officials who came over to the Chinese territory to command the repatriation,” said the group.

Another rights group, One Korea Network, also put the number of deportees at around 600.  

"The sources said that up to 200 North Koreans were repatriated through Dandong, and the rest were divided up between the other cities and sent back to North Korea via the border facilities in those cities," it said in its statement on Tuesday.

If verified, these repatriations would account for the largest number of North Koreans forcibly sent back from China to North Korea since Pyongyang closed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho, upon being questioned about the reports during a National Assembly meeting on Wednesday, said the ministry was trying to verify them.

Seoul has repeatedly urged Beijing to send North Korean defectors held in China to South Korea instead of deporting them.

An estimated 2,000 North Korean defectors are detained in China.

China regards North Koreans entering its country as illegal immigrants rather than refugees.

Repatriated North Koreans face harsh punishment, including torture, imprisonment or even execution. 

Hamas Uses North Korean Weapons and Tunneling Technology in Attacks on Israel

It has been revealed that Hamas employed North Korean weapons and tunneling technology in their attacks on Israel. The Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (ROK JCS) stated on the 17th that they believe Hamas, a Palestinian armed group responsible for the attacks on Israel, had direct and indirect connections with North Korea in terms of arms trading and tactical training. A senior official from ROK JCS made these statements during a press briefing, also noting the possibility of North Korea utilizing Hamas' attack methods for surprise attacks against South Korea.

Weapons believed to be of North Korean origin seized by the Israeli military from Hamas (Yonhap News Agency)

Since Hamas' terror attack on Israel on the 7th, the ROK JCS have been closely observing Hamas' method of attack and any potential ties with North Korea. An official discussed the connection between North Korea and Hamas concerning armament, pointing out that Hamas' use of anti-tank weaponry, labeled as F-7, aligns with North Korea's designation for its exported RPG-7. Moreover, the official indicated that there's emerging evidence of North Korea's weapon exports to various Middle Eastern countries and factions. Among these exports are the North Korean-made 122mm rocket-propelled grenades, which some believe are being used by groups that either align with or support Hamas, especially considering that these weapons have been discovered near Israel's border.

ROK JCS pointed out numerous similarities in tactical training between North Korea and Hamas. The recent Hamas attack, which included a surprise dawn assault on a holiday, large-scale rocket launches aimed at neutralizing the Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system, drone attacks aimed at disrupting surveillance, communication, and fire control systems, and penetration following the destruction of border barriers, was deemed to resemble North Korea's asymmetric attack tactics, as assessed by ROK JCS. They also raised the possibility that Hamas may have learned tactical skills, including paragliding infiltration, from North Korea.

An official from the ROK JCS explained, "In the mid-2010s, after completing the establishment of a scientific boundary system that made it difficult for infiltrators to cross through land routes, North Korea enhanced its training for airborne infiltration using paragliders." The official further added, "In December 2016, North Korea publicly demonstrated an attack training involving paragliders, which was attended by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un." This official suggested that North Korea might have passed down such expertise to Hamas. North Korean gliders are made of wood and can operate at low altitudes, making them capable of evading radar, according to the ROK JCS's explanation.

North Korean-dug southern tunnels (Yonhap News Agency)

There is also analysis suggesting that Hamas' tunneling technology may have been acquired from North Korea. North Korea is known to have accumulated significant expertise in tunnel construction during the 1970s and 1980s, primarily for the purpose of infiltrating spies and special forces members into South Korea's Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

According to RFA on the 17th, Sarit Zehavi, the head of the Israeli security organization Alma Research and Education Center, stated in an interview with the media, "It is not certain whether Hamas directly obtained tunneling technology from North Korea," but added, "North Korea has transferred technology to Hezbollah, and it appears that technology passed down to Hezbollah has ended up in the hands of Hamas."

Hamas is known to have constructed extensive underground mazes to evade surveillance by Israeli military reconnaissance aircraft and drones. The purpose of these tunnels is to transport troops and military supplies clandestinely while also providing command and control facilities. The total length of these tunnels, often referred to as the "Hamas metro," is claimed to be as long as 500 kilometers. If this claim is accurate, it represents an enormous scale, roughly 1.5 times the total length of Seoul's subway system, which spans approximately 350 kilometers.

North Korea's tunnel excavation technology, advanced enough to be passed down to Hezbollah and Hamas, is well-known. South Korea discovered four North Korean infiltration tunnels from the mid-1970s to 1990. These tunnels included the first tunnel in the Gorangpo area in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province (approximately 3.5 kilometers in length, discovered in 1974), the second tunnel in Cheorwon County, Gangwon State (approximately 3.5 kilometers in length, discovered in 1975), the third tunnel in Panmunjom, Paju City, Gyeonggi Province (approximately 1.6 kilometers in length, discovered in 1978), and the fourth tunnel in Yanggu County, Gangwon State (approximately 2.1 kilometers in length, discovered in 1990).