S. Korea to discuss N. Korean defector issue with Myanmar, Laos

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- A senior South Korean foreign ministry official will
leave for Myanmar and Laos this weekend to discuss the issue of North Korean
defectors who are increasingly seeking shelter there, ministry sources said.
The ministry said earlier Friday that Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon will
seek ways of promoting economic and political ties with the Southeast Asian
countries during his visit from Jan. 3-7.
Lee is scheduled to meet with U Kyaw Thu, vice foreign minister of Myanmar, on
Monday, followed by a meeting with Laotian Foreign Minister Thongloun the
following day, according to a press release.
But sources told Yonhap News Agency that the North Korean defector issue will be
high on the agenda.
A growing number of North Koreans are choosing to take the risky journey across
the border into China to escape hunger and harsh political oppression at home.
And given China's policy of repatriating defectors to the North, most head to
Laos, Myanmar, or other Southeast Asian nations before seeking asylum in South
Korea.
Roughly 14,000 North Korean defectors have settled in the South, which provides
limited financial support and rehabilitation training.
In the latest case, the ruling Myanmar junta released 19 North Korean defectors
into Thailand on Wednesday. The group were arrested in December and stood trial
on charges of illegally entering the country.
Yonhap has also learned that five North Korean defectors are under protection by
the South Korean embassy in Laos, from where they are to be brought to South
Korea.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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