Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BANGKOK3746
2006-06-25 23:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bangkok
Cable title:  

SIX NORTH KOREANS APPROACH EMBASSY

Tags:  PREF PGOV PREL PHUM KN KS TH 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9863
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBK #3746/01 1762337
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 252337Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9679
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2611
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1215
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1805
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR 0464
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0369
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 2019
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 3522
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0039
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 0302
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1665
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)

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