20 Defectors Arrive in Seoul

The large group that, hopefully, lead to many more large groups

About 20 North Korean defectors who were among those detained in Thailand have arrived in South Korea, reports said yesterday.

After 30 days of detention, 136 defectors were sent to the Thai immigration office last Friday and more than 20 of them came to South Korea, Radio Free Asia (RFA) said.

On Aug. 22, 175 defectors fleeing from the communist state were arrested in Bangkok and 136 of them who weren’t granted refugee status were detained.

Those who are in Thailand are awaiting an interview with officials of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to get refugee status, the RFA said.

More than 40 defectors who intend to go to the United States are under the protection of several non-governmental organizations designated by the U.S. Embassy and many defectors are considering whether to go to South Korea or the United States, it said.

Most of them, however, prefer South Korea because they are worried about language barriers in the United States, the RFA said.

I think the language barrier will not be an issue especially in urban areas like Los Angeles or New York, where many people go by without knowing much english. One added benefit to living in America would be the relative anonymity. Most people cannot tell the difference between North or South Korean, much less Korean and some other Asian group.

Regardless, where they choose to go is not important. The most important thing is that they get to choose, and not China, Laos, or any other government.