Pyongyang says refugees are a political ploy
Debate between North Korea and the United States is heating up over Washington's acceptance of six North Korean refugees. On May 9, Han Song-ryol, North Korea's deputy mission chief to the United Nations, accused the U.S. of exercising a hostile policy against North Korea and intervening in North Korea's internal politics. In a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh , Mr. Han said, "The Bush administration has created a new word, 'North Korean refugee,' as part of its plan to be on the offense regarding human rights, all to try to break down the North Korean position because the nuclear issue has so far seen no resolve.""We cannot accept the term, 'North Korean refugee,'" Han said. "It is in part a fact that there are some criminals who illicitly fled to China after committing crimes in our republic, fearing legal repercussions," Han said. "Anti-North Korea human rights organizations have exploited these criminals as a political tool to get $24 million a year set aside for the U.S.'s North Korea Human Rights Act and to mislead others about North Korea's image," he said. "All other nations in the world are repatriating illegal border transgressors to their home countries. Making accusations regarding these legitimate acts represents an intervention into [North Korea’s] domestic affairs," Mr. Han said. However, Michael Horowitz, senior adviser to the Washington-based Hudson Institute and a key figure in the acceptance of the first six North Korean refugees into the United States, said in a press conference on the same day, "The U.S. will accept a number of refugees from North Korea; I think the number should be 1,000." Mr. Horowitz said no North Korean refugees in China want to return to their home country. He said the difficulty for North Korean defectors is in reaching a U.S. embassy in a third country rather than in being granted refugee status by the United States. Mr. Horowitz said a recent meeting between U.S. President George Bush and a family of North Korean defectors signaled a turning point in the U.S. government's policy on North Korea. Mr. Horowitz added Washington's emphasis on North Korean policy is changing from resolving nuclear problems via dialogue to pressing Pyongyang regarding human rights matters. On the morning of May 10, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, who played a pivotal role in penning the North Korean Human Rights Act and in accepting the first six North Korean refugees, plans to hold a press conference to express his willingness to expand the granting of political asylum to North Korean defectors.
