PPP slams abstainers in Assembly resolution on China’s forced return of NK defectors

Lawmakers attend a plenary session of the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Seven opposition lawmakers are taking flak for giving up their votes in the National Assembly adopting a resolution calling on China to stop forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors.

Ruling People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Rep. Yun Jae-ok said in a party meeting, Friday, that the abstainers abandoned their basic duty as lawmakers, questioning whether they are North Korea sympathizers.

“China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors is equivalent to human rights abuses that violate international rules, and politicians of a democracy should not turn a blind eye to this issue,” Yun said.

“Those who gave up their votes for the resolution yesterday may have looked into this issue with their ideological bias, and ended up sympathizing with the North Korean regime instead of the defectors who sought freedom.”

On Thursday, the Assembly adopted the resolution calling on China to stop forcibly returning North Korean defectors, after China in October sent approximately 600 North Korean defectors, who had been held in detention, back to the North soon after the closing of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

In the resolution, the Assembly urged China’s cooperation in recognizing North Korean defectors as refugees and rather sending them to South Korea or other safer countries. The resolution also called on the South Korean government to beef up its efforts in negotiations and cooperation with China and other countries to protect North Korean defectors.

Among 260 attending lawmakers on Thursday’ plenary meeting, 253 approved it and seven gave up their votes. The seven lawmakers are main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Reps. Kim Jung-ho, Min Hyung-bae, Back Hye-ryun, Shin Jeong-hoon, Justice Party Rep. Kang Eun-mi, Jinbo Party Rep. Kang Sung-hee and independent Rep. Youn Mee-hyang.

“The lawmakers who gave up their votes yesterday include human rights activists, members of civic groups for the vulnerable or members of political party who seek benefits for the weak,” PPP Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a North Korean defector-turned-politician, said during the meeting.

“I want to ask why they are wary of the response from China and the Kim Jong-un regime whenever there are North Korean human rights issue. I urge them to pay more attention to the response of the people of South and North Korea, not the dictators.”

Of the abstainers, Rep. Back said her voting system was malfunctioning. She wrote on Facebook that she is sorry for failing to fix it before the plenary session ended, adding that she supports the resolution.