Government extends questioning period for discovered N.Koreans

Posted on : 2011-03-05 11:25 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Experts suggest a more timely process to protect the human rights of those who choose to defect or be repatriated

By Son Won-je, Staff Writer

The government has greatly extended the joint questioning period for people discovered on vessels from North Korea in the wake of the artillery attack last year on Yeonpyeong Island. The questioning period has gone from no more than one week previously to more than one month.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Unification on Friday regarding repatriations of North Korean and South Korean vessels and crew members since 2004, the government extended the questioning period to over one month from the date of the vessel’s arrival following the bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23 of last year. When four North Koreans were discovered in the waters off of Ulleung Island in the East Sea on Sept. 20, before the attack, the government completed the questioning a week later on Sept. 27 and repatriated one of the four. The remaining three opted to defect. In the twenty-five cases of vessels discovered between 2004 and last year, the government completed questioning within one to three days in each case and repatriated some or all of the crew members.
With the three vessels discovered in the immediate wake of the Yeonpyeong Island attack, however, the questioning lasted for over one month in each case. When asked for the reason for the increase in the questioning period as of last December, a government official said, “There was an artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, wasn’t there?”
Another government official said, “North Korea always keeps our sailors for a month at a time. There is no reason we have to send theirs back right away, is there?”
Following the bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island, a form of reciprocity in which South Korea handles people discovered on North Korean vessels in the same way that North Korea does those found on South Korean vessels has manifested itself through an extension of the questioning period. In three of the four cases since 2004 in which North Korea has discovered South Korean residents in its waters, the questioning lasted for nearly one month before the individuals were repatriated. In the fourth case, the repatriation occurred within five days.
Some observers contend that the government’s policy represents a mixture between measures with different aims, one being a “response to military action” and the other “handling of civilians from drifting vessels,” and is an inhumane measure that applies what amounts to an extended detention of civilian refugees.
“Some may argue that there is no Constitutional problem with the government protecting North Korean residents as South Korean citizens, but if you put the focus on the human rights of the individuals found on the vessels, the desirable approach would be to quickly confirm their intentions and handle the case according to their choice,” said Suh Bo-hyuk, a research professor with the Center for Peace Studies at Ewha Womans University.
A statement by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, who responded to a National Assembly question about the reason for the extended questioning periods for 31 people by saying it was “because the number was larger than other times,” has prompted some observers to respond that this was dissembling to conceal the change in government policy.
The government notified North Korea on Friday that it would be returning 27 of the North Koreans via Panmunjeom. Pyongyang refused to accept the partial repatriation, reiterating a DPRK Red Cross spokesperson’s statement demanding that all 31 be returned.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Most viewed articles