China's Inhumane Crimes: When Will They Stop?

Kang Dong-wan

Professor at Dong-A University

File picture of North Korean defectors holding banners during a rally demanding Chinese government to release North 

Korean defectors captured in China, near the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea | Photo Credit: AP

China has once again committed an inhumane act, leaving us heartbroken and distressed. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the Chinese government forcibly repatriated about 60 North Korean defectors on the 26th of last month. Jang Se-yul, the leader of the Korean Unification Solidarity of North Korean Defectors, also mentioned, "I heard from various sources, including families of North Korean defectors in South Korea and local informants, that about 200 North Korean defectors detained in the 'Baishan City Detention Center' in Jilin Province were repatriated to North Korea." Despite the Chinese government's consistent denial, testimonies from international NGOs and families of defectors confirm these repatriations.

Last October, the Chinese government forcibly repatriated about 600 North Korean defectors despite repeated concerns and requests from the international community and our government. It is cruel to drag away defectors like animals when they should be entitled to basic human rights. The Chinese government knowingly sends these defectors back to a fate of imprisonment or worse, which is akin to aiding and abetting murder.

China, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a signatory to both the 1982 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Torture, is blatantly violating international human rights norms by forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors. The Chinese government must immediately stop these repatriations in accordance with Article 3 of these conventions, which state that "no State shall expel, return, or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.“

Most of the North Korean defectors forcibly repatriated are women and minors. With over 35,000 defectors having entered South Korea, approximately 70% are women, and about 60-70% of these women are victims of human trafficking in China. A study based on interviews with 100 female defectors in China revealed that 17 were trafficked as teenagers and 53 in their twenties. There was even a case of a 13-year-old girl sold along with her mother. It is unbelievable that in the 21st century, people are still being bought and sold. Their lives, marked by domestic violence, contempt, degradation, and abuse, are beyond what any negative words can describe. For North Koreans struggling with food shortages, crossing the Amnok River and Tumen River into China seemed the only way to survive.

These women were deceived by brokers who promised that a month of work in China could save their families back in North Korea. They have spent decades in a foreign land, living each day in tears. They cling to the hope of seeing their homeland again. Even in death, they yearn to return to their homeland, if only for a day, to fulfill their roles as daughters. They cry out even now. Living and merely surviving are very different; some people are just getting through each day. The journey they took seeking freedom from oppression has turned into a path of death. Even now, families hope for their return, praying their loved ones stay alive.

The Chinese authorities must ensure the basic human rights for all, beyond ideology and regime. Forced repatriation of North Korean defectors directly leads to death or torture. To be a responsible member of the international community, China must immediately halt these forced repatriations and ensure proper treatment for defectors. If China continues these repatriations due to its alliance with North Korea, it will inevitably face consequences.

A nation cannot continue to exist if it drives countless people to their deaths. China's barbaric act of repatriating defectors to appease the North Korean regime deserves condemnation. These atrocities must come to an end. Beyond condemning China, global citizens must take action against these inhumane crimes. There is no justification for forced repatriation. The international community must unite more strongly to demand an end to this practice. One voice may be faint, but together, our voices can be powerful.