The Republican House of Representatives announced the case of the North Korean repatriated fishermen at a hearing on June 24, and issued a statement calling for a re-investigation.
On the 18th, President Yoon Seok-yeol said in the case of 'repatriation of North Korean fishermen to North Korea', "The president has nothing to say except the principle that all national affairs should be carried out in accordance with the Constitution and laws."
Choi Young-beom, senior public relations chief at the presidential office, said the day before, "The North Korean defectors have been sent back to the village as the North wants them."
In a statement on the 12th, Republican Rep. Chris Smith of the US Republican Party said in a statement on the 12th, citing the photo of forced repatriation released by the Ministry of Unification on the 11th, "It is not possible to see a picture of fishermen who demanded defection being forcibly returned to North Korea, a communist country, against their will and without due legal process. It is painful,” he said.
He continued, "As revealed at the hearing held on June 24, I was shocked and astonished at what happened at that time. I believe that a thorough investigation is still needed to find out who gave these orders and why.”
On the 11th, the Ministry of Unification changed its position on the “expulsion of North Koreans” (November 2019) and released an official view of “Forcible repatriation of North Korean fishermen to North Korea” and released photos.
On November 12, 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that North Korea could be regarded as an area equivalent to a foreign country and a North Korean person could be regarded as a person with a status equivalent to a foreigner, and the Constitutional Court supported this on June 30, 2005.
A spokesperson for the presidential office said on the 13th, “The way they struggle to avoid being dragged away somehow is very different from the explanation of the Moon Jae-in administration that there was no intention to defect.”
The Hankyoreh said on the 13th, "The real issue is not the 'false or concealment of the Moon Jae-in government', but the adequacy of the Moon Jae-in administration's judgment that 'there is no sincerity in the intention to defect'."
In relation to the South Korean government's forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen to North Korea on the 13th, Amnesty International said, "North Korean fishermen have been denied the right to a fair trial. commented
According to international law, the 'Le Flemish Principle', a provision of the International Refugee Convention and the Convention against Torture, was included in the 'Treatment on the Status of Refugees' signed in Geneva in 1951. It is a principle under international law, not a law.
David Maxwell, a senior researcher at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy in the US conservatism, said on the 15th, “I think the tightrope between China and the US is more unstable. We recognize that Korea is a strong democracy. South Korea's security and prosperity have been based not only on a democratic country but also on a norm-based international order. attacking the international system. We are also seeing countries line up,” he told Voice of America (VOA) about the North Song fisherman incident.
Congressman Smith, a Republican from the Republican Party, said in a statement on the 12th, "As revealed at the hearing held on June 24, I was shocked and astonished by what happened at the time." It sounded very suspicious that they were murderers, and not enough time was given to investigate the allegations.”
President Yoon told reporters on the way to work on June 21 about the North Korean repatriation incident, "It seems that many people are puzzled and raised a lot of issues and are looking into it. “Once you enter Korea, you are considered a citizen of the Republic of Korea according to our constitution,” he said.
On the 17th, Chosun Biz said, “The Yun Seok-yeol administration and the people’s power clashed head-on on the 17th over the ‘North Korean defector repatriation incident’ that occurred in November 2019 during the Moon Jae-in administration. After Chung Eui-yong, then head of the Blue House National Security Office, issued a statement and refuted the passport claims one by one, Choi Young-beom, senior public relations chief, held a briefing in the presidential office and rebutted it again. At the same time, the controversy over key issues between the two sides is spreading further.”