DATE=10/7/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=NORTH KOREA / REFUGEES (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-254752 BYLINE=HYUN-SUNG KHANG DATELINE=SEOUL CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: South Korea's Foreign Minister says between 10-thousand and 30-thousand thousand North Koreans have fled to China to seek refuge from famine. It is the first time the South Korean government has made public its estimate of the number of refugees from the North. As Hyun- Sung Khang reports from the South Korean capital, Seoul, the Foreign Minister also called on opposition politicians and aid groups to exercise restraint in raising the issue, for fear of upsetting Beijing. TEXT: Driven by years of successive famine, thousands of North Koreans, have made their way into neighboring China, in search of food. It is impossible to estimate the precise number, but the 10 to 30-thousand figure -- attributed to South Korean Foreign Minister Hong Soon-young, by ministry officials -- is far lower than the number given by some South Korean aid agencies. They suggest that there may be as many as 300- thousand North Korean refugees living in China. The South Korean Foreign Minister says that while the government views the refugees as a priority, it will raise the subject through quiet diplomacy with China. He is urging opposition politicians and aid agencies to exercise restraint in raising the subject, for fear of upsetting Beijing and worsening the plight of the North Koreans. The issue is a sensitive one between Beijing and Seoul because China regards the refugees as defectors, who have illegally crossed into their territory. Recently, the Chinese ambassador to Seoul, denounced the South Korean government's interest in the matter as neo-interventionist. Foreign Minister Hong responded, saying he disagrees with the ambassador's view and that Seoul is trying to have the North Koreans recognized under international law as economic refugees. Opposition politicians have criticized the government, saying it is ignoring the plight of the North Koreans. South Korean President Kim Dae Jung has commented the public misunderstands the work his administration has been doing in connection with the refugees. It is relatively easy to cross the rivers at the border between China and North Korea and then melt into the local community. There is already a large ethnic Korean population in the region. Many of the refugees return to North Korea after getting food to eat, but some remain in China. Some North Korean women have married men from the area and there are instances of human trafficking and other human rights violations. In the face of rising numbers of North Korean refugees, Beijing has recently stepped up its policy of repatriating any North Koreans found illegally in China, and punishing those who aid them. NEB/HSK/FC 07-Oct-1999 06:37 AM EDT (07-Oct-1999 1037 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
