Defector given asylum in South after 14 years
by Lee Young-jong
JoongAng Ilbo
March 01, 2002One man's 14-year odyssey finally ended Friday as the South Korean government recognized him as a North Korean defector and granted him asylum.
Kim Yong-hwa, 48, fled the North in June 1988, crossing into China and living among ethnic Koreans there. After making his way from northern to southern China over a number of years, Mr. Kim went to Vietnam in hope of finding a way to the South. After failing in several attempts there, he returned to China and succeeded in stowing away on a ship to the South in June 1995.
He sought asylum, but his request was denied by the South Korean government. Mr. Kim had no proof that he was a North Korean; his only form of identification was a forged registration card issued by China's Liaoning province.
Mr. Kim filed 22 petitions and appeals of the decision, but was still denied asylum. A South Korean government source said Chinese officials had repeatedly confirmed that Mr. Kim was a Chinese citizen.
Facing deportation to China, Mr. Kim fled in April 1998 to Japan where he was imprisoned for nearly three years. Mr. Kim filed a petition with a Japanese court demanding that he be returned to South Korea. After months of deliberation the court opted to send him to the South in February 2001 rather than forcibly deporting him to China. After a frustrating year in the South, Mr. Kim finally got his wish.
"The Chinese government recently notified us through diplomatic channels that Mr. Kim was a North Korean, not a Chinese citizen," a Seoul official said Friday. "We will work to support Mr. Kim's settlement in the South."