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North Koreans: departure for third country

Briefing notes

North Koreans: departure for third country

29 June 2001

You've probably read reports out of Beijing about the departure of the seven North Koreans who had sought help at the UNHCR office there. At this stage, I can only confirm that they have indeed departed for a third country, which I cannot name at this time. What I can say right now is that we hope this incident, which has highlighted the problems of North Koreans, will lead to a renewed dialogue with Chinese authorities so we can properly address the plight of North Koreans in China - especially those who left for refugee-related reasons.