American journalists Laura Ling, right, and Euna Lee: The two, who

work for Al Gore's Current TV, have now been in North Korean hands

for well over a month. They are to be tried for the crime of 'Hostility

to the Chosun Nation.'

 

 

Daily North Korea, South Korea

Arrest of U.S. Journalists Triggers China Crackdown on Refugees

 

"On March 17, just when regulations on refugees which had been strengthened during and after the Beijing Olympics began to weaken, Laura Ling and Euna Lee were caught and detained by North Korean border guards while looking for sources along the Tumen River. Due to its own concerns over foreign media success in collecting news material, the Chinese police subsequently began pursuing missionaries and NGO activists who aid refugees in China."

 

By Lee Sung Jin

 

May 10, 2009

 

South Korea - Daily North Korea - Original Article (English)

A North Korean soldier patrols the North Korea-China border. North Korea has detained two American journalists for illegally entering the country from China.

 

LISTEN BBC: Korea specialist Aiden Foster Carter says the detention of U.S. reporters might be an attention-seeking ploy by the North Korean leadership, and that the North Koreans may have violated Chinese sovereignty by arresting them.

 

Changchun, China: Since North Korea's detention of the two U.S. journalists, Korean refugees in China have been hiding more deeply to preserve themselves - and those engaged in assisting them have followed suit.

 

On March 17, just when regulations on refugees which had been strengthened during and after the Beijing Olympics began to weaken - Laura Ling and Euna Lee were caught and detained by North Korean border guards while looking for sources along the Tumen River.

 

Due to its own concerns over foreign media success in collecting news material, the Chinese police subsequently began pursuing missionaries and NGO activists who aid refugees in China. This is why Korean-Chinese, who act as guides for North Korean refugees in China, are going underground. And as the network that connects helpers and refugees has begun shaking, the number of refugees without security has risen.

 

Since the 1990s, a Korean-Chinese man named "Kim" has aided refugees with the support of a U.S. Protestant organization. He explained, "During the Beijing Olympics last year, it wasn't as hard as it is today." He has had to drop his correspondence with all North Korean refugees that he used to contact.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

He has also changed his mobile-phone number and left his house, staying instead at his relative's home in Dunhua, Jilin [China]. He no longer risks meeting missionaries or NGO activists and although he worries about the refugees he once took care of, he says it is unavoidable.

 

In fact even when caught, it's rare for refugee helpers like Mr. Kim to be put under arrest, since with a 10,000-20,000 yuan penalty [$1500-$3000], they can make bail easily.

 

The problem is that when they are caught, the refugees they aid are often traced during interrogation and repatriated to North Korea. Therefore, activists working around Yanbian are waiting for Chinese police regulations too again relax.

 

He explained, "For the past few years, the number of people crossing the river has been dropping. But many who have been caught come back to China again. Such people already have ways to survive, so they cross the border again immediately after being released. Some have experienced this several times: they are caught, repatriated, released and cross the border again, eventually trying to reach South Korea. I can say that today, one rarely meets first-time refugees from he North." 

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

The first stop on the refugee sojourn is Korea's Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture. They generally leave North Korea from Musan, Hoiryeong, Onsung, Saebyul and Eunduk, and go to Helong, Longjing, Tumen and Huichun - all cities in the Yanbian region.

 

The Yalu River region [map, left] isn’t used as a crossing point, because the Yalu is quite wide and in cities along it on the Chinese side, the number of Korean-Chinese residents are low. Those who decide to head for China from Yangkang, South Hamkyung Provinces as well as North Hamkyung Province select the Tumen River [map, below]. Even the people from Pyongyang and Hwanghae Province head for the Tumen River. It is narrow in parts and the concentration of Korean-Chinese residents on the China side is higher. Many refugees finally head for Wangching, a suburb of Yanji, the densely-populated capital city of the region.

 

If people are prepared to cross the Yalu River, the route they usually use is via Changbai on the opposite side of the river from Hyesan, the biggest city in the region of the upper Yalu on the North Korean side. However, it's a long way from Changbai to anywhere else - so the number of routes for refugees to take is limited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US May 12, 5:44am]