Residents forcibly repatriated to North Korea were transferred to a correctional center in just 2 days… Don’t notify your family

It was reported that about 20 North Korean residents who were recently forcibly repatriated to North Korea by Chinese authorities were transferred to correctional centers (prisons) located in North Hamgyong Province and South Pyongan Province just two days after their repatriation. Previously, NK Times reported on the 26th of last month that about 20 North Korean residents were forcibly repatriated to North Korea through Changbai Customs in Jilin Province, China. (Related article: [Exclusive] China, about 20 North Korean defectors forcibly repatriated to North Korea again… tied up and dragged)

According to an executive source from the Yanggang Province Security Department in the NK Times on the 7th, about 20 North Koreans who were forcibly repatriated to North Korea through Changbai Customs in Jilin Province, China on the 26th of last month were transferred to a reeducation center on the 28th, two days after their repatriation.

The North Korean security authorities did not notify the families of the repatriated residents that they had returned to North Korea or that they had been transferred to a correctional center, so the families were completely unaware of the situation, the source said.

This is in contrast to last October, when North Korea notified the families of forcibly repatriated residents of their repatriation.

At the time, North Korea was known to have informed border area residents and border guard soldiers of the forcible repatriation of North Korean defectors, and even summoned and investigated those who had conspired or aided defection through an operation to arrest North Korean defectors.

Through this, he created a fear of defecting from North Korea among border area residents and soldiers, saying that if you betray your country (North Korea), you will definitely pay the price.

However, this year, North Korea has deviated from this method and is keeping the repatriated residents a complete secret, not even informing their families that they were repatriated to North Korea or even sent to a correctional center. As the international community’s attention to the issue of forced repatriation to North Korea has increased, it is interpreted as a measure taken with this in mind.

The source said, “Last year, those repatriated to North Korea were investigated for an average of two months. During this period, they were transferred to a correctional center after a thorough investigation into the motives for their defection and their facilitators. However, starting this year, to maintain confidentiality, the domestic investigation process was omitted and they were sent to China.” “According to the results of the preliminary investigation conducted in , we are sending them to a correctional center immediately after repatriation to North Korea,” he said.

Since the beginning of this year, the Security Bureau of the North Korea-China border region, including North Korea’s Ryanggang Province, has been dispatching security agents to Chinese public security detention centers where North Korean defectors are being detained to conduct preliminary investigations before sending them to North Korea.

Meanwhile, Julie Turner, the U.S. State Department special envoy for North Korean human rights, said in an interactive dialogue on North Korea held by the UN Human Rights Council on March 18 that “… the North Korean leadership must be held accountable for systematic and widespread human rights violations.” It has been strongly criticized.

***This article was translated by Google and may differ from the content of this article.