The South Korean government has asked the U.S. government to explain how the Los Angeles Immigration Court has recently granted political asylum to two North Korean defectors who have South Korean citizenship, government sources said Thursday.
The Los Angeles court approved asylum on July 6 for a 33-year-old Korean woman who settled in South Korea in 2001 after fleeing North Korea. This followed a similar decision in April to grant political asylum to Seo Jae-seok, a former North Korean military officer who settled in South Korea in 1998 and obtained citizenship.
"The Los Angeles Immigration Court has approved two successive asylums for North Korean defectors. The government has asked the U.S. government for an explanation and Washington is examining the cases," said an official.
"The political asylum decisions were unusual as the two have South Korean citizenship. We stressed that such rulings should not be used as a precedent for other North Korean defectors," he said.
Another government source said the U.S. government has also been embarrassed at the Los Angeles court's decision.
This source said an estimated 20 similar cases involving North Korean defectors are currently pending in U.S. courts.
U.S. officials in Washington have said that the Los Angeles court's decision to grant asylum to North Korean refugees does not reflect the view of the Bush administration.
Seoul, Aug. 17 (Yonhap News)
Seoul asks for U.S. explanation on court-approved asylum for N. Korean defectors |
