By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

WASHINGTON, United States – The U.S. nominee for North Korea human rights envoy, Robert King, said he will continue to pressure China to stop the deportation of North Korean refugees.

At the Senate confirmation hearing, King said, “The Chinese have been less hospitable than we would like in terms of accepting [North Korean] refugees and allowing them access to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.”

China views North Korean defectors as “economic migrants,” not refugees.  Therefore, China deports the defectors to North Korea where they face persecution.  China and North Korea have a secret agreement regarding deportation of North Korean defectors.

King also labeled North Korea as “one of the worst abusers of human rights in the world” and asked the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to continue supporting human rights in North Korea despite Pyongyang’s lack of cooperation.  The U.S. has taken in about 80 North Korean defectors since the passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act.

Furthermore, King described North Korea’s kidnapping of Japanese citizens as “one of the most egregious human rights violations.”  He said that the U.S. would support Japan in their efforts to obtain information of the abducted citizens.  Since 2002, North Korea has kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens.

Critics have accused the Obama administration of turning a blind eye on North Korean human rights issues.  Some have claimed that North Korea’s reprocessing of plutonium has overshadowed the country’s abysmal human rights record.

The UN has recently urged North Korea to immediately reverse its human rights record by providing food to millions of hungry citizens, stopping public executions and ending persecution of defectors who are sent back to North Korea.

The U.S. listed North Korea as one of the worst offenders of religious freedom last month, which put North Korea on the list of “countries of specific concern” for the ninth consecutive year. 

In addition, the U.S. State Department issued a human rights report earlier this year concerning human trafficking and repatriation of North Korean refugees.

Reports have said that the Senate is “virtually certain” to confirm King, however, North Korea has been critical of King’s nomination.

For more information, please see:

AFP – US envoy says to press China on NKorea refuges – 5 November 2009

Taiwan News – US envoy nominee presses NKorea on human rights – 6 November 2009

Yonhap News – U.S. envoy on N.K. human rights denounces China for refugee repatriation – 5 November 2009