Seoul: A South Korean court has found four former high-ranking government officials guilty of forcibly repatriating two North Korean fishermen in 2019, despite their stated intention to defect. The case has drawn widespread criticism from global human rights organizations.
At the time of their deportation, the administration of former President Moon Jae-in labeled the fishermen as “dangerous criminals”, accusing them of killing 16 crewmates in a dispute over their ship’s abusive captain before fleeing across the sea border. The Seoul Central District Court, however, suspended the sentences for all four convicted officials, who had served under Moon and denied any wrongdoing.
The convicted officials include former National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, former presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min, former National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon, and former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul. In South Korea, suspended sentences are typically handed down for offenses considered less severe; while they are recorded in the criminal history, they are not regarded as traditional convictions.
The case was reopened in 2022 under the administration of now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. His office condemned the repatriation, describing it as a possible “crime against humanity.” North Korea had branded the defectors as “human scum”, and rights groups, including U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, criticized the deportation as a violation of international law, citing the high likelihood that the men would be tortured upon their return. Their fate remains unknown.
Also Read | Clive Palmer Launches Trump-Inspired ‘Trumpet of Patriots’ Party Ahead of Election
Photographs and video footage released by the Yoon administration in 2022 depicted South Korean security officials physically forcing the fishermen across the border into the custody of North Korean troops.
Speaking outside the court, former National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong defended the decision to repatriate the men and indicated he would consider appealing the ruling.
Also Read | Beijing Vows Increased Financial Support for Private Businesses
“Those repatriated … in November 2019 were not just North Korean defectors who committed criminal acts in the course of defection, as prosecutors claim,” Chung told reporters. “They brutally killed 16 of their fellow sailors (and) fled from North Korean society.”
Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.
