China on Monday defended its repatriation of North Koreans who have escaped across its border after a United Nations envoy voiced concern about increasing detentions and expulsions. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, said last week he had shared his concerns with Chinese officials in recent months. But … Read more
The UN’s human rights envoy to North Korea on Friday urged China to stop repatriating escaped defectors to the North, where they face harsh punishment, torture or execution. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, said he was “alarmed by a surge in detentions and forced repatriations of North … Read more
A North Korean soldier defected to the South after crossing the heavily fortified border, a defence ministry spokesman said on Saturday, the second soldier to defect this month. “A North Korean soldier defected to one of our Guard Posts at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday at the middle section of the border,” the spokesman said, … Read more
A senior North Korean official on Wednesday ruled out any more reunions for family members separated decades ago by war unless 12 citizens from the reclusive state who ended up in South Korea are returned. The North says the 12 were kidnapped while the South says they defected voluntarily. The relatives separated by the conflict, … Read more
Flying objects that prompted South Korean forces to fire warning shots this week appeared to be balloons carrying propaganda leaflets from the North, Seoul’s military said Wednesday. On Tuesday the defence ministry said troops had opened fire when an unidentified flying object entered the country’s airspace across the tense border with North Korea, with a … Read more