SIX NORTH KOREANS APPROACH EMBASSY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003746 SIPDIS SIPDIS GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2016 TAGS: PREF PGOV PREL PHUM KN KS TH SUBJECT: SIX NORTH KOREANS APPROACH EMBASSY REF: STATE 58514 BANGKOK 00003746 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR SUSAN SUTTON, REASON 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See para. 7. ¶2. (C) On Friday, June 23 at approximately 1130 local time, five women, including one with a 6-year old daughter, approached the front gate of the Embassy and identified themselves as North Koreans. They were met and interviewed by Refcoord, ARSO, and Embassy spouse interpreter. They were accompanied by Reverend Ki-won Chun, who is Director of the Evangelical Movement for North Korea and a Japanese woman named Naomi Akimoto, who works with Reverend Chun. Reverend Chun accompanied the first group of six North Koreans who approached the Embassy in April. Embassy had no advance notice that this latest group was coming. ¶3. (C) Apart from the mother and daughter, none of the group are related. They came from various points in China and were not acquainted until they met up for the first time in Kunming before coming south to Thailand. Reverend Chun said he had flown into Thailand on June 22 with Ms. Akimoto and met the group of six in the evening of that day in Bangkok. The six said they became acquainted with Reverend Chun through relatives in South Korea or through the internet, in particular a website associated with the Durihana Mission of the Evangelical Movement for North Korea. They said that Reverend Chun or one of his associates in the Durihana Mission instructed them to meet in Kunming for the trip to Thailand. All stated that they were interested in resettlement to the United States. All said they had no documentation. ¶4. (C) Refcoord explained USG policy towards North Korean refugees to the group. Per reftel instructions, Refcoord contacted and told UNHCR about the cases. UNHCR agreed to interview the group on June 26. Embassy staff will escort the group to UNHCR on that day. ¶5. (C) Biographical information on the six individuals follows: Name: CHE Un Jeng Sex: Female DOB: January 10, 1981 Left the DPRK for China in 1997 Name: HUYN A Sex: Female DOB: June 26, 1981 Left the DPRK for China in 2004. Has aunt in South Korea. Name: O Mi Ok Sex: Female DOB: February 27, 1982 Left DPRK for China in 2002 Name: KIM Guang Ok Sex: Female DOB: August 1, 1979 Left DPRK for China in 1998. Has cousin in South Korea. Name: MUN Ok Sil Sex: Female DOB: February 25, 1976 Left DPRK for China in 1998. Name: SIN Hyon Mi Sex: Female DOB: May 6, 2000 Born in China. Daughter of Mun Ok Sil. Mun reported that the father of Sin Hyon Mi is a Sino-Korean born in China who has Chinese citizenship. He remains in China. It is common, according to Mun, for children to take the father's surname. Mun stated that her daughter has an authentic Chinese ID card that was left behind in China. Mun said she has no other children with her daughter's father. Mun said she and the daughter's father were not legally married because she was an illegal immigrant in China. We do not know if Mun's BANGKOK 00003746 002.2 OF 002 statement that her daughter's ID card is legitimate is correct given that there is no legal marriage. Mun stated that the father gave approval for her to take the daughter. Reverend Chun made a similar statement but we have no independent confirmation of this. ¶6. (C) Refugee Route of Travel: According to Chun and the women, a Chinese man known to the group as Mr. Tu facilitated the movement of the six from Kunming to Bangkok. Mr. Tu also accompanied the group to Bangkok. From Kunming they travelled south to Jinghong, then through Laos to Vientiane, crossed into Thailand, and went to Udorn before boarding a bus to Bangkok. The Chinese man departed Bangkok in the morning of June 23. Reverend Chun stated that he paid the Chinese man USD 7000 for his efforts. According to Chun, this was a good price because the usual cost is USD 2500 per person. ¶7. (C) Please provide guidance on whether post should take further steps in processing the cases of these six persons for U.S. resettlement. ARVIZU