UN-appointed experts say the fate of many North Koreans returned from China is unknown

A group of independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council said in a press release that serious concerns persist about the fate of North Korean nationals forcibly returned from China. They spoke three years on from the reported resumption of large-scale forcible returns of nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from China.

The experts said there is no information on the whereabouts and treatment of those who were repatriated, or of those who remain at risk of return.

“These events form part of a longstanding pattern of serious human rights violations against individuals forcibly returned to the DPRK. In the absence of independent monitoring in either country, many returnees remain unaccounted for,” the experts said.

They added that for as long as the fate and whereabouts of returnees remain unknown, returnees are deprived of essential safeguards against enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, execution, torture, forced labour, sexual and gender-based violence and other serious human rights violations.

The experts pointed to reports that some women who left the DPRK became victims of trafficking, forced marriage and sexual exploitation. One of them is Kim Cheol-ok. According to the experts, she reportedly fled the DPRK during the 1990s famine and was trafficked into China as a child. She was forced into marriage at 14 and was subjected to sexual violence and forced pregnancy. She reportedly lived in China for about 25 years and established family ties, but faced harassment and restrictions because of her irregular status.

Chinese authorities detained her in April 2023 without access to legal representation, and she was forcibly returned in October 2023. Her fate and whereabouts remain unknown. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found in 2024 that her detention by China and the DPRK was arbitrary.

The experts said that since 2023 there have been reports of serious human rights violations against returnees. They named in particular people perceived as having sought asylum or who left the country without authorisation. They said this raises concerns under the principle of non-refoulement. The principle states that no one should be returned to a country where they face a real risk of persecution, torture or inhuman treatment.

“Irregular migration status does not diminish the obligation to respect the principle of non-refoulement,” the experts said. They also said that, given longstanding evidence that North Koreans who leave without authorisation or seek protection abroad may face severe punishment on return, the reported mass returns “raise questions about whether their protection needs were adequately assessed before repatriation”.

The experts said “persistent obstacles continue to impede efforts to obtain information” on the fate and whereabouts of returnees, including those in political prison camps, and of those who remain at risk of forcible return from China.

They called on China to respect the principle of non-refoulement and to refrain from repatriating North Koreans “and ensure access to fair and effective procedures for assessing their international protection needs”. They also called on Pyongyang to disclose the fate and whereabouts of returnees.

The source does not say how many people have been returned. It carries no response from the Chinese or DPRK governments. The experts’ account of individual cases rests on reports, and this paper cannot check them.

The Human Rights Council appoints Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts in Geneva to monitor and report on specific human rights themes or country situations. They serve in their individual capacity, are independent of any government or organization, are not UN staff and receive no salary for their work.