Ex-officials defend 2019 repatriation of N.K. fishermen as criminal deportation

SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- Three former officials convicted of forcibly repatriating North Korean fishermen in 2019 defended the move Thursday, describing it as a deportation of criminals.

Chung Eui-yong, former national security adviser, Suh Hoon, former National Intelligence Service director, and Kim Yeon-chul, former unification minister, made the assertion in a statement issued a day after the Seoul High Court sentenced them to suspended prison terms for their involvement in the case.

"The reality of this case is not a simple forced repatriation of North Korean defectors," the statement said. "It was a deportation measure against criminals who fled to the South after committing serious inhumane crimes."

The three served in former President Moon Jae-in's administration in November 2019, when Seoul deported two North Korean fishermen back to North Korea after they were captured near the eastern maritime border. The fishermen had been accused of killing 16 crew members.

The move sparked outcry from critics as the fishermen had expressed their intent to defect to South Korea, which maintains a policy of accepting North Korean defectors.

In Thursday's statement, the officials said the case could not be treated the same as other North Korean defection cases, citing the seriousness of their alleged crimes.

In its verdict, the Seoul High Court upheld a lower court's convictions for the three former officials, ruling that they had violated the basic rights of the North Korean fishermen, such as their right to a trial.

It, however, overturned the lower court's conviction of former presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min, citing the difficulty in determining his involvement in the repatriation.

Those who attempt to defect from North Korea are said to often face severe punishment, ranging from torture to death, when they are caught or sent back to the North.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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