4 N. Koreans to undergo 2nd interview on defection

Four out of 31 North Koreans who accidentally entered South Korean waters on a fishing vessel last month will be moved to Daeseong Gongsa, a central government investigation center, for a second round of joint interviews on their defection.

They can gain legal status as citizens of the Republic of (South) Korea if the second interview, which could last up to 180 days, concludes they are not North Korean spies.

The first interview ran from Feb. 5 through Thursday and focused on whether they are North Korean spies and willing to defect. The four members were confirmed to want to stay in the South so their status has been changed from “North Koreans who happened to come to the South” to “aspiring defectors.”

In other words, they are considered the same as North Koreans who defected to the South via a third country.

The more in-depth second interview will involve staff members from the South Korean Unification Ministry who were not at the first interview. Investigators will ascertain information on whether they left the North in disguise as spies, the conditions in which they lived, and other data related to the North.

If the information they give is critical, the amount of their resettlement subsidy will go up as well.

After the second interview, they will receive protection and support as South Koreans according to the law on North Korean defectors and resettlement support. They will then undergo education at Hanawon, a center that helps North Korean defectors adjust to life in South Korea.

spear@donga.com