U.S. gov't advised to seek closer coordination with S. Korea on N. Korean refugees

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. government has been advised to seek
closer cooperation with South Korea in helping North Korean refugees settle in
the U.S., citing the political sensitivity and lack of available information on
the refugees.

"Critics say the legislation risks upsetting relations with South Korea and
China, and ultimately the diplomatic unity necessary to make North Korea abandon
its nuclear weapons program through the Six-Party Talks," said the Congressional
Research Service report, titled "Congress and U.S. Policy on North Korean Human
Rights and Refugees: Recent Legislation and Implementation."
The report, submitted Saturday, refers to the North Korean Human Rights Act
(NKHRA) which was renewed for another four year run by Congress in September to
help finance resettlement of North Korean refugees and promote human rights in
the reclusive communist state.
Since the act went into effect in September 2004, the U.S. has accommodated 64
North Korean defectors. Most North Korean defectors risk deportation and
political persecution when passing through China, which considers North Korean
defectors to be economic migrants rather than refugees under a bilateral
agreement, with its communist ally North Korea calling for their immediate
deportation.
"China is wary of U.S. involvement in the issue and chafes at any criticism based
on human rights," the report said. "South Korea also had reservations about a
more active U.S. role, particularly in terms of refugees, although the current
administration in Seoul has been more amenable to such efforts."
The report is apparently referring to the former liberal South Korean government
of Roh Moo-hyun which would not touch on the North Korean human rights issue and
even abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution to promote human rights
in the North.
The conservative Lee Myung-bak government, launched earlier this year, recently
joined an international effort to initiate a similar resolution for a passage
through the United Nations and called for an improvement in human rights in the
North in August when he met with U.S. President George W. Bush in Seoul in the
first such incident.
"Both want to avoid a massive outflow of refugees, which they believe could
trigger instability or the collapse of North Korea," it said. "U.S. executive
branch officials worry that criticism of how Seoul and Beijing approach North
Korea's human rights violations could disrupt the multilateral negotiations to
deal with Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs."
The report fears that the legislation may "worsen the plight of North Korean
refugees by drawing more attention to them, leading to crackdowns by both North
Korean and Chinese authorities and reduced assistance by Southeast Asian
countries concerned about offending Pyongyang."
The repot calls for closer cooperation with South Korea in implementation of the
legislation.
"In congressional hearings, State Department officials have cautioned that
effective implementation of the NKHRA depends on close coordination with South
Korea, particularly in developing mechanisms to vet potential refugees given the
dearth of information available to U.S. immigration officials on North Koreans,"
it said.
The report also noted the South Korean system of accepting North Korean refugees
which it said is "faster and more streamlined than the U.S. process."
"South Korea remains the primary destination for North Korean refugees. In
addition to automatically granting South Korean citizenship, the South Korean
government administers a resettlement program and provides cash and training for
all defectors," the report said, noting Seoul has accepted over 14,000 North
Korean defectors since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
The report was concerned about the possibility of the act promoting North Korean
refugees to rush into U.S. missions across the globe to create diplomatic
frictions and injuries or even deaths to themselves.
It cited some critics who "argue that the legislation on North Korean refugee
admissions could send a dangerous message to North Koreans that admission to the
United States as a refugee is assured, encouraging incursions into U.S.
diplomatic missions overseas."
"State Department officials say that given the tight security in place at U.S.
facilities abroad, unexpected stormings could result in injury or death for the
refugees," it said.
Closer cooperation with South Korea and other neighboring countries is needed in
funding North Korean refugees or their supporting organizations as "regional
governments do not wish to draw attention to their role in transferring North
Koreans," the report said.
"Some government officials and NGO staff familiar with providing assistance to
North Korean refugees say that funding explicitly associated with the NKHRA is
problematic because of the need for discretion in reaching the vulnerable
population," it said.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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