Letter regarding the Resettlement of North Korean Refugees

SUMMARY

The Committee on Asian Affairs wrote to Secretary of State Kerry urging that he do everything reasonably possible to enable more refugees from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to resettle in the United States. According to the letter, North Koreans heroically continue to escape the grip of their country’s despotic regime. Their immeasurable bravery is all the more impressive when one considers that, if caught and repatriated, they face imprisonment, torture and even execution. Repatriating them clearly violates the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951), its 1967 Optional Protocol, the Convention Against Torture, and customary international law. Given the severe persecution these refugees face if they are repatriated back to North Korea, the United States Government should take the lead in resettling them.