The Restoration: Toward a More Humane Refugee Policy?

I’ll say it again:  I’m no fan of President-Elect Lee Myung-Bak, but as long as he listens to Park Jin, he’ll do fine:

Park said during his visit to Hanawon, a facility for resettlement and education of defectors in Ansung, Gyeonggi Province, “The defector issue is a universal human rights issue and the first step for reunification.”  He added, “While the South Korean government has neglected and disregarded the defector issue, defectors have chosen third-party countries as the path to survival. Those who have defected from the North are entitled to return to the embrace of the Republic of Korea and our administration has the responsibility of bringing them safely home.”

He emphasized, “Even when the Chinese police had detained, imprisoned, and forcibly deported defectors to face gruesome deaths, the government said nothing about this. The position of not inciting the North due to North-South relations or avoiding friction with China cannot continue.”  [Daily NK]

The problem with all of this is that Park didn’t exactly say he’s going to let more defectors in, although the improved diplomatic approach toward China and “taking leadership” in the  how nations deal with the issue  could have that effect.

Related:   39 year-old Yoon Seung-gil is about to become the first North Korean defector to run for a seat in the National Assembly.