Seoul voices regret over China visa denial

Seoul voices regret over China visa denial

South Koreans protest in front of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, Monday, calling on China to stop repatriating North Korean defectors. / Yonhap By Park Si-soo South Korea expressed regret over China’s denial of a visa request by a lawmaker who has been on hunger strike to highlight Beijing’s “inhumane” repatriation of North Korean defectors held there. Rep. Park Sun-young of the minor conservative Liberty Forward Party had applied for a Chinese visa to visit Beijing and the northeastern city of Shenyang this month to discuss on the repatriation with Chinese officials and South Korean diplomats there. But the Chinese Embassy in Seoul twice denied the request without clear reason, raising speculation that it was Beijing’s retaliation against her campaign. “China’s decision (of denying the visa request) is regrettable,” said Cho Byung-jae, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, during a regular media briefing, Tuesday. “Although visa issuance is a matter of sovereignty, which means this is not subject to complaint, the decision was regrettable.” The Chinese Embassy was not immediately available for comment. Park has led a variety of activities aimed at halting China’s repatriation of North Korean defectors detained there. The 56-year-old has gone on hunger strike in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul since last week, galvanizing people including politicians and celebrities to join the “Save My Friend” campaign. The campaign has gone viral on the Internet, drawing countless encouraging messages from around the world. She also presented a resolution against the repatriation, which was approved by the National Assembly’s plenary session on Monday. Some 30 North Koreans were recently caught by Chinese police and face an imminent return, according to human rights activists and lawmakers here. They say returnees face severe punishment and even death. Some of the detained defectors have allegedly already been handed over to North Korean authorities. The South’s government has taken an unusually tough stance on the matter amid soaring domestic pressure to save North Korean defectors. South Korea Ambassador Kim Bong-hyun has urged China to stop repatriating defectors in a speech delivered on Monday during the 19th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. The envoy said sending them back home amounts to a “grave infringement of human rights.” Last week, President Lee Myung-bak urged Beijing to follow international norms on the matter. Beijing has been pressed to acknowledge defectors as refugees and guarantee their safety. But China has refused to do so, defining them as “illegal migrants” who crossed the border due to economic reasons. China’s foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said last week, “They (North Korean defectors) are illegal border crossers. They are not within the category of refugees.” South Korean and Chinese foreign ministers plan to meet in Seoul on March 2 and the defector issue is expected to top the agenda.