Ex-officials defend 2019 repatriation of NK fishermen as criminal deportation

Former national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, former National Intelligence Service director Suh Hoon, and former unification minister Kim Yeon-chul defended the 2019 repatriation of North Korean fishermen on Thursday. They maintained that the act was a deportation of criminals. This assertion came in a statement issued the day after the Seoul High Court sentenced them to suspended prison terms for their roles in the case.

The officials argued that the situation was not merely a forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. Instead, it was a deportation measure targeting individuals who had committed serious inhumane crimes. The three were part of President Moon Jae-in's administration when the deportation took place in November 2019. The deported fishermen were captured near the eastern maritime border and accused of killing 16 crew members.

This decision drew widespread criticism, as the fishermen had previously expressed their intention to defect to South Korea. Under the South Korean policy, the country typically accepts defectors.