[National] Six N.K. defectors seek asylum in U.S.

A group of six North Korean refugees arrived in the U.S. on Friday, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

The North Koreans are the first to be awarded refugee status since U.S. Congress approved the North Korean Human Rights Act in 2004, which makes it easier for North Koreans to resettle there. Prior to the act, the U.S. had selectively awarded refugee status to those of political significance, as in the case of Chang Seung-woo, former North Korean ambassador to Egypt.

U.S. senator Sam Brownback was quoted by the AP as saying that the group had arrived at an undisclosed location in the U.S. Friday night, after coming from a Southeast Asian nation, which was also left unnamed. The six refugees include four women, who allegedly said they were victims of sexual slavery or forced marriage.

The refugees were split between four different locations in China, uniting on April 3 and arriving in the Southeast Asian country on April 17. They gained refugee status from the U.S. government between April 24 and 25.

"This is a great act of compassion by the United States and the other countries involved," the AP quoted Senator Brownback as saying. He also noted the refugees' arrival in the United States showed that "the [North Korea Human Rights] act is working," by making the refugees' human rights a part of U.S. policy toward North Korea.

Clause 302 of the act discusses the will to respect North Korean defectors' decisions to settle in the U.S. The refugees also have a right to seek refuge in South Korea, according to the South Korean constitution.

Several other North Korean refugees entered the U.S. embassy in the Southeast Asian country along with the six who just arrived in the U.S. These other refugees have asked for asylum in South Korea and will soon be headed to Seoul, sources said.

In a related move, an official from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday told Yonhap News Agency in Washington, D.C., that some North Koreans who wanted to settle in the U.S. but failed to gain U.S. entry were allowed to go to South Korea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul, however, denied such an allegation, saying the screening process of the U.S. works independently of Seoul's refugee policy and destinations were determined based upon the defectors' personal choices.

The UNHCR official hinted at the possibility of more North Korean defectors heading to Washington, as he used the term "the first group" to describe this case. The first group of six will benefit from the U.S. government's official assistance program, while the Korean community in the country is also expected to extend help.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., unveiling its action plan for 2006, which revolves around measures aimed at providing shelter for North Korean defectors scattered in China and Mongolia. The UNHCR also urged the Chinese government to draft refugee-related measures and to guarantee legal protection and assistance for North Koreans seeking asylum there.