Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson of South Korea's Ministry of Unification, reads a statement urging the immediate release of South Korean missionaries Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-gil, who are detained in North Korea, during a press briefing at Government Complex Seoul, Friday. The statement follows the adoption of an opinion by the U.N. Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Yonhap
The United Nations has classified North Korea's prolonged detention of South Korean missionaries as "arbitrary" and called for their immediate release.
The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), under the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, adopted an opinion on Wednesday stating that North Korea's imprisonment of missionaries Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-gil constitutes a violation of international law.
"The detention of Mr. Jung-wook Kim, Mr. Kook-ki Kim and Mr. Chun-gil Choi is arbitrary as they have been deprived of their liberty for reasons of discriminatory intent against them, because they were foreign nationals and because of their religious and humanitarian work as Christian missionaries," the WGAD said in a report.
“The Working Group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Jung-wook Kim, Mr. Kook-kie Kim and Mr. Chun-gil Choi immediately and accord them an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law."
The decision comes in response to a petition filed last July by the families of the detained missionaries, requesting a judgment on the legality of their prolonged imprisonment.
North Korea had argued to the WGAD last August that the petition was "politically motivated" and did not violate international law. However, the U.N. panel rejected this claim.
In response, South Korea's Ministry of Unification issued a statement on Thursday, condemning North Korea's actions as a "blatant violation of international law."
"The international community has officially confirmed that North Korea's detention of these individuals is illegal," said Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson of South Korea's unification ministry. "We strongly urge North Korea to immediately and unconditionally release our citizens."
The South Korean government also pledged to work closely with the international community, including the United States and Britain, to resolve the issue swiftly.
Kim Jung-wook, who had been conducting humanitarian and missionary activities for North Korean defectors in Dandong, China, was arrested on Oct. 8, 2013, by North Korean authorities after entering the reclusive country.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor in May 2014 on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the state, anti-state propaganda and illegal border crossing.
Similarly, missionaries Kim Kuk-gi and Choi Chun-gil, who operated in the same region, were arrested in October and December 2014, respectively, and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor in June 2015.
In addition to the missionaries, three North Korean defectors who had obtained South Korean citizenship were also detained in 2016. However, the WGAD did not review their cases as no petition was filed.