At least two North Koreans in China are seeking to defect to the United States, it was learned Friday.
An official source with the South Korean government said he believes the North Koreans are in the process of applying for asylum in the U.S., while another official said that the South Korean government "does not confirm anything about defectors." Neither South Korean government nor groups in the South that aid defectors appear involved in this new case.
Reportedly, the U.S. has yet to determine whether to accept the defectors, because there would likely be friction with the Chinese government should the refugees be taken from an American diplomatic mission there directly to the U.S.
Meanwhile, Do Hui-youn of the Citizens' Coalition for the Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees told reporters Friday that two other North Koreans are in Southeast Asia seeking to come to South Korea. One is reportedly the provincial head of the General Federation of Korean Scientists and Technicians and left the North in March, while the other is said to be the female head of a military hospital unit who left the North in January. Mr. Do said the two arrived in a Southeast Asian country only this month, and that they would like to go to South Korea because it operates programs for North Korean defectors, unlike the U.S.
According to one source, the two are not believed to have had the authority to access key information within the North Korean government.
Two new groups of N.K. refugees seek asylum |
