North Korea calls on South Korea to repatriate 12 restaurant workers
According to Yonhap, North Korean media on July 20 stepped up calls for South Korea to repatriate 12 restaurant workers who defected years ago, saying any delay in resolving the issue could negatively affect inter-Korean relations.
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| North Korean female employees defected to South Korea in April 2016. Source: AP |
The 12 North Korean women, who worked at a restaurant in the city of Ningbo, arrived in South Korea in April 2016. The group of defectors has sparked controversy amid claims that some of them were tricked into coming to South Korea.
"If the issue of repatriating our female citizens is not resolved quickly, it will be an obstacle not only to the reunions of separated families but also to inter-Korean relations in general," said Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean foreign propaganda website.
The website claimed that the restaurant workers were forced to come to South Korea and that their return would be a "standard" to test the Seoul government's commitment to implementing the inter-Korean summit agreement in April.
Meanwhile, Meari, another North Korean propaganda site, also claimed that these North Korean employees were "kidnapped," and said that if this issue is not resolved, it will hinder inter-Korean relations, including the reunion of separated families./.
