North Korean refugees “a test for unification” – President Park

SEOUL - North Korean refugees entering South Korea are a “trial-run, a test for eventual unification", President Park Geun-hye has told a Cabinet meeting. "When a North Korean refugee successfully finds their place in our society, it means they have found happiness for themselves and their family. This example can, in turn, offer hope to North Koreans oppressed by tyranny," she said.

"While the defections by North Korean elites and regular citizens are on the rise, the types of defectors and their motivations for defecting have become varied in recent years. Some are fleeing the North with a sense of despair about the future, while others are leaving for the sake of their children.

"Government bodies need to work together closely to build (South Korea’s) capacity to accommodate and support resettlement of North Korean refugees, a process that will give them back their freedom and their human rights.

"North Korea continues to ignore the laws and standards of the international community, to the point that even countries that had friendly relations with the North are now turning their backs.

"It is important that North Koreans get a better grasp of the link between the astronomical costs of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missile programmes and their poverty, and to get them to see how the Northern regime is perceived by the world at large.

"We need to make North Korea realise that if it does not halt its development of nuclear weapons, stronger sanctions will be put in place. This will make even basic diplomatic relations with the outside world difficult.

"South Korea, the U.S., the EU and many other countries are making concerted efforts to adopt a new UN Security Council resolution that will ensure complete, effective sanctions against the North.

“It is imperative that our Government take the lead in putting an end to provocations by the North, through sanctions and added pressure. Moreover, we need to expand cooperation with more countries to increase support for our efforts." www.korea.net (ATI).