The latest Transitional Justice Working Group report exposes the chilling reality of North Korean defectors’ enforced disappearances.TJWG, a South Korean advocacy group, has documented over 100 disappearances. More than 81.4% of disappearances were attributed to North Korean and foreign law enforcement. A forthcoming advocacy report seeks to hold North Korea accountable for its violations.
Alarming findings on enforced disappearances
The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a South Korean advocacy organization, has released a shocking report that details over 100 enforced disappearances linked to North Korea’s defection attempts.
The document, titled “Existing ‘Nowhere:’ Looking into North Korea’s Crime of Enforced Disappearance,” provides an eerie account of these incidents. Interviews with 62 defectors helped collect data from 66 cases involving 113 disappearances.
North Korea’s Ministry of State Security, border guards, and the Defense Security Bureau are responsible for 81.4% of these disappearances. Collaboration with law enforcement agencies is common in nations such as China and Russia. Arrests occurred primarily in North Korea, but also in foreign territories, posing a difficult challenge for those fleeing or connected to escapees.
More than 100 North Koreans have gone missing after being caught by secret police while trying to defect from the isolated country or even for trying to call relatives in South Korea, a Seoul-based human rights group said https://t.co/fTCBcHUoue
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 31, 2024
Who Are the Victims?
According to the report, 47.8% of the victims were relatives of interviewee defectors. Nearly 39% were young adults, while an alarming 11.5% involved children under the age of ten.
Despite the North Korean constitution’s mention of free speech, its failure to uphold such rights has systematically stifled dissent. Grounds for these disappearances predominantly stem from attempts to defect, association with defectors, or expressing criticism of the regime.
Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, TJWG’s Advocacy Director, assured that a new advocacy report would be published to highlight these crimes and North Korea’s responsibility. Political dissent remains dangerous, according to Freedom House, which labels defectors as traitors facing severe consequences.
More than 100 North Koreans have gone missing after being caught by secret police while trying to defect from the isolated country or even for trying to call relatives in South Korea, a Seoul-based human rights group has said. https://t.co/nR3JeGxHdx
— The Japan Times (@japantimes) October 31, 2024
International Response and Legal Protections
North Korea’s apparent disregard for human rights has prompted the international community to take immediate action. South Korea’s legislative measures, such as the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act and the 1951 Refugee Convention, provide a lifeline for defectors. However, ongoing monitoring and accountability erode these assurances, highlighting the fight against tyranny.
The TJWG’s thorough investigation dismantles any remaining perceptions of propagandized freedoms frequently touted by North Korea. Enforced disappearances, especially involving foreign cooperation, mark a grave violation against humane principles. If silence is not to be mistaken for complicity, the world must uphold international safeguards and hold responsible governments accountable.
Sources:
