North Korea defended its detention of South Koreans during a UN meeting discussing enforced disappearances, claiming it is a matter of "legitimate judicial punishment."
According to the North Korean Families Association, during a dialogue with the chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) and the chair of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) held in New York on October 20, a South Korean representative mentioned the names of detained citizens, including Kim Jung-wook, Kim Guk-ki, and Choi Chun-gil, bringing attention to the issues of abductees, detainees, and military prisoners. This follows the WGEID's classification of their detention as "enforced disappearance."
The South Korean representative called for full cooperation with the WGEID and emphasized the need for dialogue, urging North Korea to respond promptly to inter-Korean discussions.
In response, the North Korean representative stated, "The individuals listed by the Republic of Korea are criminals who kidnapped innocent DPRK residents in the border area and are serious offenders who conspired to overthrow our state under the direction of the Republic of Korea." They also referenced allegations of espionage, asserting, "No country tolerates crimes that threaten national security and law," and claimed that "the legitimate punishment of lawbreakers is the rightful judicial authority of a sovereign state."
While North Korea has consistently denied the existence of detentions and enforced disappearances, its specific response to the issue of detainees has drawn attention. In recent years, North Korea has typically responded to inquiries about South Korean detainees with vague denials, labeling them as "slander" or politicization of human rights.
Shin Hee-seok, a member of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, remarked, "Such specific comments from a North Korean diplomat on the UN stage cannot occur without directives from Pyongyang," adding that this indicates an increased awareness of the issue within the international community due to the South Korean government's persistent advocacy.
Meanwhile, the North Korean Families Association issued a statement urging the South Korean government to publicly call for the confirmation of the lives and safe return of the three detained missionaries at every UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council meeting.
They also stated that even if North Korea claims these individuals are criminals violating its laws, consular protection and family contact should be allowed under the 1984 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, to which North Korea is a party.
Kim Jung-wook, Kim Guk-ki, and Choi Chun-gil are South Korean missionaries who were forcibly detained in North Korea while providing humanitarian assistance to North Korean residents and defectors in border areas such as Dandong, China. Kim Jung-wook was arrested in October 2013, while Kim Guk-ki and Choi Chun-gil were detained in October and December 2014, respectively. They have been sentenced to life imprisonment for charges including conspiracy to overthrow the state and espionage, and have not been returned for over ten years.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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