Mick Hartley

On those North Korean defectors recently returned by China – more from the Daily NK:

North Korean defectors who were recently repatriated from China are being detained at Ministry of State Security holding centers near the China-North Korea border, Daily NK has learned.

Defectors who have experienced forced repatriation in the past say they were subjected to serious human rights abuses in the holding centers, including torture, beatings and sexual assault. There is thus concern that the recently repatriated defectors may face similar treatment at the hands of security officials. 

Through multiple sources in North Pyongan Province, North Hamgyong Province and elsewhere in North Korea, Daily NK confirmed that the defectors repatriated on Oct. 9 are being temporarily held at Ministry of State Security holding centers in Sinuiju and Onsong….

Defectors who left for purely economic reasons or served time in China for crimes likely face forced labor or reeducation-through-labor. However, the sources told Daily NK that those confirmed to have committed illegal political acts, such as trying to reach South Korea, probably face heavier punishments.

Defectors who made multiple attempts to reach South Korea, or who were in continuous contact with South Koreans, will likely be sent to political prison camps operated by the Ministry of State Security.

An expert told Daily NK that the repatriated defectors may face various human rights abuses during the initial investigation process at the holding center, including torture, beatings and sexual assault.

Given that hardly any female guards work at the holding centers in Sinuiju and Onsong, repatriated women often experience humiliating treatment or molestation during their physical examinations by the male guards….

Meanwhile, the South Korean government said it is trying to confirm the veracity of reports regarding the forced repatriations.

In a regular briefing last Thursday, South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said the government was “trying to confirm the details” regarding the reports and that it is “continuously asking the Chinese side, through several ways, for cooperation so that North Korean defectors overseas are not forcibly repatriated against their will and quickly allowed to go where they wish.”

An official from South Korea’s unification ministry told reporters last Thursday that the government was “trying to confirm the veracity of the reports and keeping an eye on the situation.”

He added that “it’s the government’s position that defectors overseas not be forcibly repatriated against their will, whatever the circumstances, and that forcibly returning somebody to North Korea against their will runs counter to international laws banning forced repatriation.”

Committing crimes in China is one thing, but the really unforgivable crimes are "political" – contact with South Koreans, or trying to reach South Korea.