12 N.Korean Refugees Enter S.Korean Embassy in Laos

The South Korean embassy in Laos said that 12 North Korean refugees, including 11 females and one male, entered the embassy on March 27. They are under protection now.

South Korean Ambassador to Laos Park Jae-hyeon said on March 28, “The North Korean refugees entered the embassy at around 11 a.m. yesterday, and are staying in the embassy in healthy conditions.” In December 2007, two North Koreans entered the Swedish Embassy in Laos requesting to be transferred to a third country, and later moved to South Korea.

“After confirming the identities of the North Korean refugees, we’ll discuss with the government of Laos to treat them as they wish as much as possible based on humanitarianism and international customs,” said the ambassador.

According to the Voice of America, four human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Without Frontiers International (HRWF) and the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), whose headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, and Paris, France, respectively, released statements, saying that “Twelve North Korean refugees entered the South Korean embassy after consulting with HRWF staffs working in Laos.”