The South Korean government says there was “no legal basis” to repatriate the two North Korean fishermen

July 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Ministries of Justice and Unification of South Korea have assured this Thursday that there was no “legal basis” to repatriate two North Korean fishermen who had defected to the south a day after the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, pointed out that said decision constitutes a “crime against humanity”.

Yoo Sang Bum, a deputy from the People’s Power Party (PPP), has indicated that the ministries in question have indicated that North Koreans are not subject to the Immigration Law because they are considered citizens of South Korea once they express their intention to defect. .

Thus, the Ministry of Justice has specified that only foreigners can be deported within the framework of this legislation. In addition, deportation requires an order from the Minister of Justice, which never came in the case of the repatriated fishermen in 2019, according to information from the Yonhap news agency.

In this sense, the president’s National Security office would have ordered this repatriation, of which the Ministry of Unification would have been informed a posteriori.

“The repatriation carried out by the Government of former President Moon Jae In violates the South Korean Constitution and laws and is an abuse of Human Rights,” said the deputy.

Criticism against the repatriation has increased this week after the government released a series of photos showing several soldiers forcing North Korean citizens to cross the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas. Both were blindfolded and their hands tied.

Many consider that this decision sought to favor North Korea in an attempt to pave the way for peace and reconciliation.