North Korean Defector Pleads for Mother Facing Forced Return from China
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – A North Korean man who escaped to South Korea in 2019 is urgently appealing to Chinese authorities to prevent the repatriation of his mother, fearing she faces severe punishment if returned to North Korea. Kim Geum-seong, 22, made a public plea Wednesday during a news conference organized by Amnesty International Korea in Seoul, warning that his mother’s case could signal a resurgence in the forced return of North Korean refugees.
Kim’s mother initially crossed the Yalu River into China in 2019, facilitating her son’s journey to freedom while remaining behind to build a life. She later established a family in China, but was arrested in January 2025 while attempting to reach South Korea via a third country. She is currently detained in Jilin Province, China.
“Mom, it is still cold outside, and Chinese prisons must be even colder and harder,” Kim said, visibly emotional. “Why must someone risk their life just to see the child they long to meet?”
Activists fear that if forcibly returned, Kim’s mother will face a grim fate. Amnesty International Korea’s senior manager for North Korean human rights, Choi Jae-hoon, warned that defectors repatriated to North Korea routinely endure torture, arbitrary detention, forced labor, sexual violence, and even execution.
“If they are forcibly repatriated, they face torture, arbitrary detention, forced labor, deliberate starvation, sexual violence, enforced disappearance, forced abortion, political prison camps and even execution,” Choi said.
The case comes amid growing concerns that China may be resuming large-scale repatriations of North Korean defectors, after a period of relative calm linked to shifting regional diplomacy. While large-scale deportations have been infrequent in recent years, reports of smaller-scale returns in 2023 and 2024 have raised alarms among human rights groups. Some activists believe further deportations could occur following the conclusion of China’s annual political meetings this week.
According to Kim Tae-hoon, who operates a group home for young North Korean defectors and serves as Kim’s legal guardian, a guard at the detention facility informed the woman’s Chinese husband that repatriation could happen soon. He also indicated that at least three other North Korean defectors are being held at the same facility.
Activists note that intervention from Chinese relatives has sometimes prevented repatriation in cases where defectors have established families in China. However, the overall outlook remains bleak.
The Seoul-based North Korean Human Rights Information Center recently stated that China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors could constitute crimes against humanity. The organization has begun compiling a database to identify Chinese officials involved in repatriation decisions, focusing on authorities in Liaoning and Jilin provinces.
The situation highlights the precarious position of North Korean refugees seeking freedom and the international pressure on China to uphold human rights standards.
Original Korean report via Asia Today: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260312010003601
