UN experts say fate of North Koreans returned from China is unknown, urge Beijing to stop repatriations

A group of independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Oct. 21 that serious concerns persist about the fate of North Koreans forcibly returned from China, three years after the reported resumption of large-scale returns in October 2023. In a press release, they said there is no information on where those repatriated are being held or how they are being treated, and none on those who remain at risk of being sent back.

“In the absence of independent monitoring in either country, many returnees remain unaccounted for,” the experts said. They described the returns as part of a “longstanding pattern of serious human rights violations” against people sent back to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). While their fate is unknown, they said, returnees lack essential safeguards against enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, execution, torture, forced labour and sexual and gender-based violence.

The case of Kim Cheol-ok

The experts cited the case of Kim Cheol-ok, who reportedly fled the DPRK during the 1990s famine and was trafficked into China as a child. According to the release, she was forced into marriage at 14 and subjected to sexual violence and forced pregnancy. She lived in China for about 25 years and had family ties there, but reportedly faced harassment and restrictions because of her irregular status. Chinese authorities detained her in April 2023 without access to legal representation, and she was forcibly returned in October 2023. Her whereabouts remain unknown. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found in 2024 that her detention by China and the DPRK was arbitrary.

Non-refoulement

The experts argued that the returns raise questions under the principle of non-refoulement, which bars sending anyone to a country where they face a real risk of persecution, torture or inhuman treatment. “Irregular migration status does not diminish the obligation to respect the principle of non-refoulement,” they said. They noted longstanding evidence that DPRK nationals who leave without authorisation or seek protection abroad may face severe punishment on return, and said the mass returns “raise questions about whether their protection needs were adequately assessed before repatriation.”

They also pointed to what they called persistent obstacles to obtaining information about returnees, including those held in political prison camps. The experts called on China to respect the principle of non-refoulement, to refrain from repatriating North Koreans and to ensure fair and effective procedures for assessing their international protection needs. They called on Pyongyang to disclose the fate and whereabouts of those returned.

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council in Geneva to monitor specific themes or country situations. They serve in an individual capacity, are not UN staff and are not paid. The statement does not represent a Security Council or General Assembly decision. For the security side of the Korean peninsula, see our report on how North Korea tests two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles, two days after 900 km ballistic launches.

Source: UN News, Oct. 21, 2026.