U.S. Faces Difficulty in Accommodating North Korean Defectors

“North Korean residents and some aid groups have unrealistic expectations of our ability to directly support North Korean defectors.”

On April 28, Arthur E. Gene Dewey, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, said above at a hearing on the enforcement of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 held by the House International Relations Committee’s subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Dewey added that “there is a limit to accommodating North Korean defectors due to the domestic situation in the U.S., international relations, and the maintenance of safe routes used by defectors.”

Dewey’s statement means that although the U.S. government is working hard in various ways to enforce the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 enacted last October, in reality, there are many restrictions and difficulties in the way of “direct support.”

In particular, Dewey pointed out that it is hard to find a way to identify North Korean defectors as North Korea is still classified as a terrorist state by the U.S.

Joseph De Trani, the U.S. special envoy for six-party talks, also stated at the hearing that “the U.S. is currently discussing with Korea ways to entirely enforce the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004,” and that “the discussion is necessary to meet the conditions for defector resettlement in the U.S.”

Soon-Taek Kwon maypole@donga.com