A report containing the analysis that the crime of enforced disappearances in North Korea is being carried out in a systematic and step-by-step manner has been released.
On the 31st, the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a human rights investigation and record organization, released a report titled ‘A Presence That Cannot Exist: An Investigation into the Crime of Enforced Disappearance in North Korea’ and revealed in detail the pattern of the crime of enforced disappearance in North Korea and the competent agencies that enforce it.
This investigation conducted in-depth interviews with 62 North Korean defectors who had settled in South Korea and analyzed a total of 66 cases of enforced disappearance and 113 missing persons.
The report revealed that most of the forcibly disappeared residents disappeared after being controlled by major North Korean agencies, such as the Ministry of State Security, and that their whereabouts were unknown, especially as many were repatriated from China and transferred to camps in North Korea.
In relation to this, TJWG mapped the paths leading to forced disappearance of residents and explained in detail the process of forced disappearance due to suspicions of religious activities and the disappearance of those attempting to escape from North Korea.
According to the report, the crime of enforced disappearance in North Korea has been continuously committed under the three generations of hereditary systems. Many disappearances occurred under the Kim Jong-il regime, and the crime of enforced disappearances continued even after Kim Jong-un took power. The actual investigation results showed that 35 out of 113 people were forcibly disappeared under the Kim Jong-un regime.
In addition, the investigation found that there were 13 missing children under the age of 10, and there were many younger missing people.
The most common reason for forced disappearance was related to defection from North Korea at 39.8%. Specifically, it was identified as ▲ repatriation after defection (21 people) ▲ attempt to escape from North Korea (12 people) ▲ preparation for defection from North Korea (7 people) ▲ assistance with defecting from North Korea (5 people). . Disappearances due to guilt by association also reached 25.7%. In addition, suspicions of contact with South Korea, criticism of Kim Jong-un’s family and system, and suspicion of religion were investigated as reasons for the disappearance.
The main conclusion of the report is that many of the crimes of enforced disappearances in North Korea are committed by specific agencies, such as the Ministry of State Security. According to the investigation, of the 133 missing people, 62 were arrested and taken in by the Ministry of State Security alone, and the proportion of people who disappeared under the control of the Ministry of State Security after arrest was found to be about 81.4% of the total.
In addition to the Ministry of State Security, the North Korean Border Guard, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, the North Korean People’s Army Security Bureau, the Ministry of Social Security, and the Non-Socialist Censorship Group were found to be involved in the crime of enforced disappearance.
TJWG pointed out in the report that the responsibility for these crimes of enforced disappearance lies with the Kim Jong-un regime, and that the control structure centered on the Ministry of State Security plays a role in systematically carrying out these crimes.
TJWG also included in this report the frustration and pain experienced by the families of victims of enforced disappearances in North Korea and North Korean defectors.
North Korean defectors who were trying to find their missing family members felt great fear and frustration when North Korean officials warned them to “stop looking”, and the international community’s interest and pressure on the problem of North Korean people suffering under the North Korean government and social oppression. TJWG reported that they appealed that this was necessary.
“This report contains the tears, frustration, and hopes of North Korean residents and North Korean defectors,” said Park Song-ah, TJWG’s investigation and records officer. “The North Korean defectors who participated in this survey hope that more people will join in and take action to put stronger pressure on the problematic countries.” “I hoped,” he said.
Through this report, TJWG asserted that North Korea’s crime of enforced disappearance is a transnational crime, and also noted that China and Russia are also heavily responsible. It is said that China and Russia are participating in enforced disappearances by arresting and repatriating North Korean defectors in their countries or by assisting North Korean agencies in kidnapping activities.
TJWG urged the international community to recognize and respond to North Korea’s crime of enforced disappearance as a transnational crime, and urged related countries to raise the issue more strongly and take action.
Source: www.dailynk.com
