The head of the North Korea Freedom Coalition Suzanne Scholte has urged the Laotian government to regularly check on the safety and well-being of nine young North Korean defectors who were forcibly repatriated last week.
In an interview with Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, the activist said Laos should take responsibility over the escapees for having deported them to China despite their wish to defect to South Korea.
Scholte added officials in Vientiane were aware of the severe punishment the defectors would face once they return to the North.
Beijing often considers North Korean escapees as economic migrants, not refugees and returns them to Pyongyang.
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