North Korea: Refugees

(asked on 14th December 2017) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of the People's Republic of China on the treatment of refugees from North Korea in China.


Answered by
 Portrait
Mark Field
This question was answered on 21st December 2017

We remain concerned that China continues to regard North Koreans fleeing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as economic migrants, and return them to North Korea, rather than as refugees under the 1951 refugee convention. Despite claims by the DPRK authorities that forcibly repatriated refugees are well treated and reintegrated into DPRK society, there are many credible reports, including from the UN Special Rapporteur, that they are often mistreated by the authorities.

During his 11 December speech at the UN Security Council meeting on the human rights situation in the DPRK, UK Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft urged all Member States, including China, not to repatriate DPRK refugees. We have asked the Chinese authorities to respect the fundamental principle of non-refoulement and raised the matter at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue which took place on 27/28 June.

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