Regarding deportation of North Korean residents
November 7, 2019
The ROK Government deported two North Korean residents through
Panmunjeom today(11.7) at around 3:10 P.M. The two North Koreans were
seized from the East Sea on Nov.2.
The ROKG conducted a joint investigation on the two North Koreans
who were captured after crossing the sea border near the Northern
Limit Line on the east coast.
The Government learned that the two men in their 20s were on the run
after killing 16 fellow crew members onboard a squid-fishing vessel on
the East Sea.
The ROKG, through the South-North Joint Liaison Office in Gaeseong
on Nov. 5, notified its intentions to deport the men back to the
North. On Nov. 6, the North confirmed that it will take over these men.
The ROKG, through consultations among related government agencies,
has decided to deport the two men under the following grounds: they
are not eligible for protection under the ‘North Korean Refugees
Protection and Settlement Support Act’ as they are offenders of
nonpolitical and serious crimes including murder; they can be seen as
possible threat to the lives and safety of our citizens if integrated
into our society; and they cannot be recognized as refugees under
international law as they have committed a heinous crime.
* Unofficial translation
