North Korean Asylum Seeker @ South Korean Consulate in Hong Kong

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  1. #1

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    North Korean Asylum Seeker @ South Korean Consulate in Hong Kong

    China is in charge of foreign affairs, not Hong Kong.

    China has repatriation agreements with North Korea. Obviously South Korea does not have this arrangement.

    1 or more North Koreans have sought asylum in the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong.

    Security stepped up after North Korean defector seeks refuge at Hong Kong’s South Korean consulate | South China Morning Post


  2. #2

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    BBC has a more comprehensive update:

    The defector will probably have to spend a few months at the South Korean consulate, according to North Korean Defectors Concern, a Hong Kong-based NGO.


    Co-founder Lau Kwun-hang told the BBC that the Chinese government could not arrest or repatriate the asylum seeker because he had already entered the consulate. "But if he wants to leave [Hong Kong] and head to South Korea, this needs the permission of the Chinese government."

    Something similar happened in 2012, when Beijing finally allowed five North Korean defectors to leave for South Korea after they had spent three years in China.

    Given the publicity and security concerns, Lau Kwun-hang does not believe the defector will need to wait for years before departing for South Korea.
    North Korean 'seeks asylum at S Korean consulate in Hong Kong' - BBC News

    (Shame on the SCMP for not covering this "news" in as much detail as some of the overseas press are.)

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    (Shame on the SCMP for not covering this "news" in as much detail as some of the overseas press are.)
    The SCMP is under orders.

    This is from The Asahi Shimbun. There's really not a lot to report on when all sides are keeping shtum.

    South Korea's foreign ministry declined comment. A ministry official said the South Korean government's position was not to make any comments related to North Korean defectors, keeping in mind their safety and diplomatic relations with relevant countries.

    Officials from the North Korean and South Korean consulates in Hong Kong were not immediately available for comment.

    The Hong Kong office of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hong Kong government could not be reached for comment.

    China's Foreign Ministry in Beijing also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.