Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kirby, for being here today.

As someone with a long-standing interest in North Korea and these issues, I watched with great interest from a distance as you and your commission did your work. What I think many of us found most interesting is that most of what you found was already known; there really wasn't a lot of new information. But I think it was an example of how a formal process, under the auspices of something like the United Nations, and the gathering and coherent presentation of information actually did change the conversation. The process that you and your commission of inquiry went through did make a difference and actually pushed this debate to the next level. I thank you and your colleagues for having done that.

When we talk about North Korean human rights and violations of human rights, of course, there are those who are still in North Korea. Then there are the North Koreans who have escaped overland into China, where they are still under threat, because as we all know, if they are apprehended by Chinese authorities they will be forcibly repatriated. It would seem that China is choosing not to take seriously its own obligations to not forcibly repatriate those who have reason to fear for their safety if they're sent back to their homeland. Then there is that underground railway that many of them take, which can take several years to get through China. Thailand is usually the destination of choice. And then some have resettled in South Korea and elsewhere.

But I want to talk about China for a minute, not about North Korea specifically. I question whether the international community has the ability to apply moral suasion against the DPRK to compel or persuade them to follow some of these international norms. China is difficult, but I think China provides a better opportunity for the global community to somehow persuade China not to forcibly repatriate North Koreans who have escaped. Maybe China doesn't want those people to stay in China, but I've often wondered whether the international community could come together and essentially make an offer to China, saying, “If you apprehend North Koreans, bring them to us and we will relocate them; we will deal with them from that point forward”.

I'm curious about what your thoughts are on that. Would there be a way to approach China—maybe from the side, so to speak, rather than in a direct confrontation on this matter—to try to create a situation where the lives of North Koreans who have made it over the first wall into China, but not over the second wall out of China, could be improved and the possibility of their ending up somewhere safe would be improved?

Barry Devolin

Transcript

Discussions (0)