S Korea Voices Regret Over Repatriation by China of N Korean Asylum Seekers
The South Korean government is expressing regret that nine North Korean asylum seekers were deported from China after seeking help from South Korean diplomats. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday it is "very regrettable" the nine could not come to South Korea.
South Korean media says the asylum seekers were arrested by Chinese police in the city of Shenyang in October and repatriated to North Korea. The South Korean consulate in Shenyang had sent them to a small hotel but they were arrested after a hotel manager alerted police. Rights groups have accused the Foreign Ministry of failing to protect potential North Korean defectors.
韩国政府对9名向韩国外交官寻求庇护的北韩人被中国遣返表示遗憾。韩国外交通商部星期四表示，这9个人不能来韩国令人“非常遗憾”。
韩国媒体报导，这几个寻求庇护的北韩人去年10月在沈阳被中国警方逮捕，并被遣返。在他们被捕前，韩国驻沈阳领事馆将这几个人安排在一家小旅馆里，旅馆经理报警后，这几个人被捕。人权组织指责韩国外交通商部没能保护这些也许可以逃离的北韩人。
