Korea’s version of Schindler’s List, the ultimate human rights improvement and reunification preparation.

Minister Kwon Young-se,

under the recognition that “improving North Korean human rights is an urgent historical task,” has been repeatedly attending private human rights events since the end of last year and reading words of encouragement. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, he has been applauded for his efforts to summon the missing human rights.

So, what is the most urgent policy for improving North Korean human rights?

First and foremost, it is to do our best to help and accept defectors that are out of Kim Jong-un’s reach. In other words, it is suggested to actively engage in helping and accepting defectors in China. The Moon Jae-in administration has consistently remained silent on the human rights violations, forced repatriation, and human trafficking of defectors in China for the past five years.

There was no other alternative as he sang the Sibieocheon-ga, suggesting to join Xi Jinping’s China dream. If defectors are sent, they are accepted, if defectors are forcibly repatriated, they remain silent, and this was beautified as ‘quiet diplomacy.’ The number of defectors entering the country, which once far exceeded 2,000, dropped sharply to about 200 in 2020 and 63 in 2021. This happened especially after the forced repatriation of defectors from the East Sea.

Now, the Ministry of Unification should not just talk about improving human rights, but first, I want to request that all defectors in China, who have left Kim Jong-un’s hands, be accepted. There is no more effective human rights improvement than rescuing people who have escaped from a brutal dictatorship.

West Germany accepted 2.8 million East German escapees until the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 before unification, and even after the wall, it accepted nearly 1.2 million compatriots. Unification was a reward for such efforts by West Germany. It was very different from South Korea, which has accepted more than 33,000 defectors for over 70 years of division.

In order to confidently request unification from the international community when the opportunity for unification comes, from now on, we must adhere to the principle that all defectors who have left North Korean soil are accepted.