Anchor : A survey result has been announced that the perception of victims of sexual violence in North Korea is negative and perpetrators are not properly punished . Reporter Cho Jin-woo reports .
According to a preliminary investigation report released on the 8th by Korea Future , a British human rights organization for North Korea, surveyed 50 North Korean defectors on their perceptions of sexual and gender-based violence ( violence committed due to gender differences ) and accountability measures. According to the report, 40% (20 people ) of the respondents said that victims of sexual violence in North Korea are viewed negatively or treated negatively .
Specifically, they have been shown to be abandoned by their spouses, socially stigmatized , distrusted by their families , or socially isolated .
In addition, North Korean defectors testified that victims of sexual violence in North Korea are expelled from school, forced to retire or demoted from their jobs, and in some cases forced to marry the perpetrator.
When asked what the actual results can be for victims of sexual violence in North Korea, 40% (20 people ) of North Korean defectors answered ' nothing ' , more than ' the perpetrator is imprisoned ' (17 people ) .
In addition, 7 of them answered that ' perpetrators of sexual violence are not punished at all in North Korea ' , indicating that sexual crimes are not properly punished in North Korea .
In particular, 80% (39 persons ) of North Korean defectors who participated in the survey said that what victims of sexual violence in North Korea need most is ' criminal punishment of perpetrators ' .
Regarding the relief measures for victims of sexual violence, 70% (34 persons ) of North Korean defectors answered, “ I think that victims of sexual violence want to take legal action in an international court . ”
Regarding this, Han Song-i, a North Korean defector living in the UK, told Free Asia Broadcasting (RFA) on the 8th that it is difficult to report sexual assault victims in North Korea due to the negative perception of them .
Mr. Han Song-i : In the case of a young lady, the fact that she can't get married or that she talks about such things with her own mouth is in itself an embarrassment . There is an unspoken pressure to prevent female victims from speaking out . Socially , so I can't report it .
“ Although it has been almost a decade since the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) was established to advance accountability for human rights violations in North Korea , the responsibility of perpetrators of international crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence, remains unresolved, ” Han Mi-rae said in a report. Identification still seems thin, ” he noted .
In addition, Han Mi-rae said , “ The Commission of Investigation on Human Rights in North Korea is having difficulty recording violence against women , especially in the case of sexual violence , due to the prejudice and shame that continue to be inflicted on victims. ” We want to support them so that they can have a voice in realizing the way we find out and bring justice, ” he said .
The Embassy of Canada in Korea, which sponsored and supported this report, announced on Twitter on the 8th, “ Canada actively supports efforts to find responsibility for human rights violations in North Korea . ”
Meanwhile, according to ' Women in Politics : 2023' announced on the 8th by UN WOMEN and the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) on International Women 's Day, as of January 1 of this year , North Korean female lawmakers The rate was 17.6% , ranking only 130th out of 186 countries in the world .
Link “Rescuing 8 North Korean women in China”
Anchor : LiNK , an American organization for human rights in North Korea, recently announced that it had rescued eight North Korean women living in China . However, officials said that the situation of rescuing North Korean defectors in China is still poor . The designation is reported by a reporter .
Park Seok-gil, representative of Link's Korean branch, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 8th that the group had rescued a total of eight North Korean women , three at the end of last year and five at the beginning of this year .
These are North Korean defectors who had been living in China before COVID-19 and recently settled in South Korea.
Park said, “ I have heard from informants in China, North Korean defectors and their families that many North Korean defectors in China want to go to a safe country . ”
He added, “ Although the situation is still difficult, we will do our best to ensure that as many North Korean defectors as possible can enjoy safety and freedom . ”
Link shared the news of the rescue of the North Korean defectors through social networking services (SNS) and explained , “ Over the past three years, the field team has worked tirelessly to develop new ( rescue ) routes and adapt to local conditions . ”
Previously , in November of last year, Link also helped two North Korean defectors who were staying in a third country enter the United States .
With the help of Link and the local US mission, they entered the US through the Humanitarian Parole (HP), a system that allows them to temporarily stay in the US for urgent humanitarian reasons .
However, the officials explain that the situation of rescuing North Korean defectors is still not easy.
Pastor Cheon Ki-won of Durihana Mission in Korea, which is responsible for rescuing North Korean defectors, told Free Asia Broadcasting (RFA) on the 8th that as restrictions on issuance of Chinese visas ( entry permits ) were recently eased, related organizations resumed attempts to rescue North Korean defectors, but it is difficult due to skyrocketing rescue costs. said he was experiencing
In particular, he said that “ brokers and other officials who guide North Korean defectors from China to Southeast Asia all demand 15 million won ( approximately US $ 11,400 ) per North Korean defector as if they were united . ”
Pastor Cheon Ki- won : ( The cost of rescue ) is not fixed, so it varied, but usually it is expensive, but 2 million won . . In the past , the case of crossing the Tumen River in North Korea was about 15 million won when it reached its peak . ( The cost now ) has gone up very exponentially now .
At the same time, Rev. Chun was concerned that “ it will not be easy for the skyrocketing costs to come down again . ”
In addition, Rev. Chun cited the recent strengthening of punishment by the Chinese authorities as a factor that further discourages attempts to rescue North Korean defectors.
It is said that it is difficult for related organizations to actively engage in activities as China drastically strengthens punishment, such as confiscating all property.
Seo Jae-pyung, chairman of the North Korean Defectors Association, a South Korean defector group, also explained to Free Asia Broadcasting (RFA) that the Chinese authorities' crackdowns, such as China's strengthened border controls and online conversation censorship, are continuing after the corona .
However, as China recently eased its corona quarantine measures, he said , “the movement of North Korean refugees in China is much better than during the corona, ” as long as an unreasonably large number of North Korean defectors do not move at the same time .
He also estimated that “ the number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea may increase slightly this year, ” saying that recent North Korean overseas workers are making escape attempts .
Chairman Seo Jae-pyung : The desire to escape seems to have increased significantly because the workers in Russia and China have been locked up for three years and cannot enter North Korea, which is psychologically difficult .
Chairman Seo also predicted that the number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea in the aftermath of COVID-19 has declined sharply over the past few years, and that the South Korean government will more actively accept North Korean defectors such as North Korean overseas workers this year.