The biggest story out of the press over the weekend came from WSJ’s Melanie Kirkpatrick who exposed a UN program possibly funneling hard currency to Kim Jong-Il’s coffers. Like all UN project in NK, there is a lot of money involved, there’s little accountability, and when there is accountability, it’s checked by staff picked by the NK government.

While this is an opportunity to remind reader how I feel about the UN, there’s actually a positive response by the new Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. I will reserve judgment until something actually happens. In the future, I hope the new Sec. Gen. could put the clamps on China for still trying to repatriate refugees. Then I’ll be impressed.

There is still time to Digg “The Shenyang Six”. The more eyes that read about their plight, the more likely this will not happen again

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is under criticism again _ this time for failing to bring home nine family members of three South Korean prisoners of war from China, where they were staying after escaping from North Korea in July last year.

The ministry confirmed a report on Thursday that the nine refugees were repatriated to the North in October, right after being arrested by Chinese police at a private home in Shenyang, northeastern China.?

Most of them, who range in age from 20s to 70s, had sought shelter in the city since last July, according to the Monthly Chosun. They are family members of three South Korean soldiers _ two of whom died in the North, while the other returned to South Korea early last year.

On Oct. 11, two South Korean diplomats reportedly escorted the nine refugees to the home, instead of housing them inside their diplomatic mission, following a protocol established with the Chinese authorities.

But the Chinese police allegedly raided the house only hours later and directly sent them to Dandong, a border town near North Korea. A day later North Korean border guards took them into custody.

They are presumed to have been detained at a prison for political offenders in North Korea, civic group leaders who work for North Korean human rights in Seoul said.

This is the worst feeling for an North Korean human rights activist. I just read this article today (and read about it on The Marmot last night) only to find out that this happened in October and that the refugees may have been returned to North Korea. Worse, it turns out the Korean consulate did a poor job protecting these refugees. There a few lessons to be learned

- Time is always against the refugee’s side. This just reinforces it. If I could ever buy them a day or so, I would.

- (Via. OneFreeKorea) If you are an refugee in China, do not go to the Korean consulate in Shenyang, go to the American consulate just a wall away.

- The UNHCR are powerless. The more people that realize it, the more likely they will take action themselves.

If there is any consolation, it is that there will be other seeking freedom. Make it your duty to not lose them.

Update: One defector is confirmed dead.

Somehow, the department that the IRS falls under can hose more than just Americans. The IHT reports on the hard hitting folks at Treasury

BEIJING: Since the end of the Korean War, the United States has been inventive in applying pressure on North Korea.

It has imposed an arms embargo, economic sanctions, restrictions on trade and travel, bans on dealing with North Korean companies and even a bar on U.S. citizens owning or operating ships flying North Korean flags.

Most of these measures have led to some pain, but nothing seems to have stung as much as a Treasury Department attack in September 2005 on Banco Delta Asia, an obscure, family- owned bank in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macao.

At almost every meeting aimed at getting the North Koreans to halt their nuclear weapons program, Pyongyang has demanded that the United States lift its penalties against Banco Delta Asia. This week the Russian government asked the United States to remove the sanctions against the bank, too.

Note to regimes, never disrespect the institutions (i.e. print counterfeit dollars) that provides funding for capital.