Jin Gyeong-suk
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Jin Gyeong-suk | |
|---|---|
| 진경숙 | |
| Born | 24 June 1980 |
| Died | January 2005 (aged 24) |
| Nationality | North Korean |
| Other names | Jin Kyung-sook |
| Citizenship | South Korean |
| Known for | North Korean defector |
Jin Gyeong-suk (Korean: 진경숙; 24 June 1980 – 2005), also known as Jin Kyung-sook, was a North Korean woman who, after successfully defecting to South Korea in 2002, was arrested in China two years later for conducting espionage and forcefully deported back to North Korea, where she was tortured and murdered.[1][dead link]
Kidnapping
In August 2004, Jin, who had acquired South Korean
Reactions
The case proved to be politically highly charged for two reasons:[2]
- Since Jin held a South Korean passport, the case involved the kidnapping of a South Korean national on Chinese soil. Thus both South Korea and China were also involved. As a North Korean citizen, the legal situation of Jin would have been a different one, since China maintains a practice of turning over defectors from North Korea to the North Korean authorities. Chinese authorities asserted that, at the time of kidnapping, Jin was actually located on North Korean territory to help her sister escape from North Korea.[3]
- The question arose whether Jin had actually been kidnapped or only arrested in accordance with North Korean law. That law stipulates a punishment for foreign nationals suspected of espionage of up to seven years imprisonment in a Labor Camp. Since she held a South Korean passport, such law could have applied to Jin Gyeong-suk. A government official said: "We are always telling defectors that China is a dangerous place for them, but these incidents happen. We cannot comprehend how you could claim your right to free travel and then try to sell a North Korean video identified as a North Korean defector."[2]
Petitions for release
Jin's abduction to North Korea garnered a flurry of media attention. Various human rights organizations intervened, seeking Jin's release; they attempted as well to determine whether Jin was still alive. The family petitioned to then South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun and pushed for her return to South Korea, without, however, receiving a response from the president.[4]
Murder
Jin died around early January 2005, at the Chongjin concentration camp. The cause of death was determined to be the result of the residual effects of torture to which she had been subjected.[1]
See also
- List of kidnappings
- List of solved missing person cases
References
- ^ a b Amnesty International: Newsletter THE WIRE, Issue January/February 2010, Women Shaping Their Own Lives, P. 20. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ a b The Chosunilbo: Daily News From Korea Article from 08 September 2004: Was North Korean Defector kidnapped or arrestet? Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ Daily NK Artikel vom 24. August 2005: Former General of People's Army Kidnapped by National Security Agency. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Victims of Abduction: Jin Kyung Sook's Family Petition to the President". Daily NK. 9 September 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2012.