MFA ON PROCESSING OF NORTH KOREANS IN RUSSIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 006307 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2016 TAGS: PREF KN KS RS SUBJECT: MFA ON PROCESSING OF NORTH KOREANS IN RUSSIA REF: STATE 93689 Classified By: Political-Minister Counselor Kirk Augustine. Reasons 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (C) Deputy Political Minister-Counselor delivered reftel points to Mikhail Lebedev, Acting Director of the MFA Department of Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights, on June 13. Lebedev said the GOR would have to consider the U.S. request before responding officially. ¶2. (C) Lebedev said that thus far, North Korean asylum seekers in Russia have gone only to South Korea, and the number of cases annually has been very few. Asked how many North Koreans might be in Russia, Lebedev said there were no precise statistics, but there could be as many as 10,000. Almost all of them were working in timber processing as part of a special labor migration agreement with the DPRK, and very few had any problems. Lebedev asked for a copy of the North Korean Human Rights Act (which post will provide to him) and suggested that if the GOR agreed to permit U.S. processing of any cases, it would be through an informal understanding, not any formal arrangement. BURNS