Repatriated South Korean POW Sent to Yodok

An octogenarian South Korean POW has been sent to a North Korean prison camp after he was caught attempting to escape the country and return to his homeland more than 55 years after being captured during the Korean War. [Open News]

According to the report, the “peace forest” that will be Jung’s final destination is the infamous Yodok, or Camp 15.

Follow me in a slightly cynical thought. If we’re going to start using the I.C.C. as a means to hold officials accountable for their unlawful human rights abuses, this would seem to be a clear violation of three documents the Chinese government has signed — the Korean War Armistice Agreement, the 1951 Refugee Convention, and its 1968 Protocol. Here’s hoping that someone will file an I.C.C. indictment against the Chinese officials responsible for abetting this old soldier’s torture and almost certain murder. Nothing bad could come of this. On the one hand, it could generate richly deserved bad press and condemnation for China. On the other, it might convince China to take a more active role in limiting the jurisdiction of the I.C.C.