South Korea says it expressed concern to China for sending North Korean escapees back home

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has expressed its concerns to China after assessing that the country returned an unspecified “large number” of North Koreans, including escapees, back home. Koo Byoungsam, spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said Seoul did not have exact information on how many of the North Koreans repatriated from northeast China would be “escapees, medical patients or criminals.” His comments followed several media reports based on activist sources that alleged that China this week forcibly returned hundreds of escapees back to North Korea where they would face the risk of persecution and harsh treatment.