South Koreat expresses concern to China for sending North Korean escapees home

South Korea on Friday said it had expressed its concerns to China after assessing that it recently returned a “large number” of North Koreans, including escapees, back to their homeland.
Koo Byoungsam, spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said Seoul did not have information on the exact number of North Koreans repatriated from northeast China or how many of them were “escapees, medical patients or criminals.”
His comments followed several media reports based on activist sources that alleged China recently returned hundreds of escapees back to North Korea where they would face the risk of persecution and harsh treatment.
“It appears to be true that a large number of North Koreans were repatriated to North Korea from China’s three northeastern provinces,” Koo said. “(Our) government’s position is that there should be no circumstances in which North Koreans living abroad would be forcibly repatriated back home against their will.”