NK Human Rights

[Anchor Lead]

Human rights activists are calling out Pyongyang for its treatment of North Korean escapees repatriated to the North from China. The refugees say they were treated like animals. North Korean authorities have even been accused of torturing pregnant women.

[Pkg]

North Korean escapee Kwak Jung-ae was hiding in her relatives' house in China when she was caught by the Chinese police and repatriated back to the North against her will.

[Soundbite] Kwak Jung-ae(N. Korean escapee/Repatriated to N. Korea Twice) : "They never treated us like humans. They treated us like animals in the literal sense of the word."

There were no exceptions, even for pregnant women and children. North Korean escapees are providing numerous testimonies of human rights violations such as forced abortions and torture. They also say that forced repatriations of defectors have surged since Kim Jong-un took power and ordered his regime to bring all escapees back. Sources say that the Kim Jong-un regime uses them to promote hostility toward the South and discourage North Korean citizens from escaping.

[Soundbite] Lee Han-byul(Director, Improving North Korean Human Rights Center) : "They said they were forced to tell the public via propaganda videos that living in South Korea in a capitalist society is very difficult and tormenting."

Dozens of escapees were recently caught in China by North Korean officials. Human rights activists are calling on the international community to prevent their forced repatriation.