South Korea's new envoy on North Korean human rights called on Wednesday for diplomatic pressure to persuade Beijing against deporting defectors from North Korea.
The number of defectors plunged after the border between China and North Korea was closed in early 2020 to stop the spread of COVID-19, but once the border is reopened the numbers are expected to rise, said Lee Shin-wha, South Korea's ambassador for international cooperation on North Korean human rights.
U.N. experts have for years criticised China for sending back North Korean defectors, whom it regards as illegal migrants who flee their country for economic reasons.
