At a human rights hearing he chaired today, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) called on the Government of South Korea to embrace a larger role on the global stage in helping those fleeing oppression, especially defectors from Communist North Korea, who seek refuge in the nation.

            “Today, South Korea is at a crossroads,” said Rep. Smith, Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC). “Combined with its economic prowess, South Korea has become a soft power leader. However, true soft power and leadership entail more than just leading in terms of economic growth and cultural influence.”

            “Until recently, South Korea has been ambivalent, if not hostile, to providing a majority of them with such refuge – indeed, in recent years, it appeared to discourage even those Koreans who fled the repression of Communist North Korea from seeking refuge in the South,” said Smith, who pointed to recent data that shows South Korea still lags behind other developed countries.

            “However, newly-elected President Yoon has raised expectations that a self-confident Korea is willing to embrace a larger soft-power role with regard to refugees and struck a chord among those who saw the previous administration as being very soft towards the Communist North with his strong emphasis on freedom,” Smith said.

            The TLHRC hearing featured compelling testimony from a panel of experts, including Jong-Chul Kim, Esq., Senior Researcher at Advocates for Public Interest Law; Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, Ph.D., Legal Analyst at Transitional Justice Working Group; Moon Jun Sohn, Ph.D., M.D., the Director of We All Friends (NGO) and Professor of Neurological Surgery at Inje University; and Suzanne Scholte, Ph.D., Seoul Peace Prize Laureate and Chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

            Scholte emphasized the need for South Korea to accept defectors detained in China: “The North Korean refugee crisis can be solved overnight if China simply upheld its treaty obligation and the Republic of Korea returned to their policy of welcoming them. According to Unification Hope Mission, there are approximately 1200 North Koreans detained in Chinese prisons.” 

            Shin underscored the problematic record of the previous Administration of Moon Jae-in with regards to North Korean defectors, attributing it to a desire to appease North Korea’s communist ruler, Kim Jong-un: “It is not clear why the (past) Moon government decided to forcibly return the two North Korean escapees to North Korea on November 7, 2019, just five days after their arrival, but there have been speculations that it was part of a charm offensive to induce Kim Jong-un to attend an ASEAN-South Korea summit meeting in Busan later that month.”

            Kim, a lawyer who was recognized by the U.S. State Department as a “hero” for his anti-trafficking work, put forward a number of reform recommendations: “The (South Korean) government must create an independent system for refugee status determination, separate from the administration of immigration control that is more professional, transparent, and efficient—thereby raising its refugee recognition rate to a level comparable to that of other OECD members.”

            Dr. Sohn, who served as the head of Korea Hospital at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, testified regarding his experience of rescuing Afghans who worked alongside his team when he served in Afghanistan, and supporting their resettlement in South Korea. 

            Additionally, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Ranking Member of the House Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, submitted a statement for the record that condemned North Korea’s human rights record, including the treatment of Cincinnati native Otto Warmbier “who was wrongfully imprisoned and tortured by North Korean agents,” which led to his death.  He also criticized the previous Moon Administration’s treatment of North Korean defectors.

            “Though there remains some trepidation, there is also a feeling of great optimism that Korea is about to embrace its role a true global leader, and provide an example not just for Asia, but for the rest of the world,” Smith concluded.

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