South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Jo Hyun stated on October 6 that allegations suggesting the Lee Jae-myung administration intends to forcibly send North Korean soldiers, recently returned from Ukraine, back to North Korea are "unimaginable."
During a National Assembly audit session, Jo expressed, "Hearing such statements in the National Assembly makes me acutely aware of how free our Republic of Korea is." He added, "The claim that we would send back defectors, whom we have brought home after over a year of effort, seems far-fetched."
Lawmaker Park Chung-kwon of the People Power Party questioned Jo, stating, "Kim Jong-un is aware that North Korean soldiers are coming to South Korea," and suggested that the Lee administration's acknowledgment of the defectors' return to Ukraine might be an attempt to conceal the situation. He raised concerns that this could lead to anger directed at Ukraine on behalf of Kim Jong-un.
Park further argued, "If the fact that North Korean soldiers have come to South Korea is made known, it could encourage additional defections from the North." He also expressed suspicions that the government might be considering using the defectors as bargaining chips in negotiations with Kim Jong-un, referencing a precedent where two North Korean fishermen were forcibly repatriated in 2019, with an appeals process currently underway.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.