The South Korean government has reiterated its call for  South Korean Christian missionaries Choi Chun-gil, Kim Jong-Uk, and Kim Kuk-gi to be released from imprisonment in North Korea.

Choi Chun-gil (65) is serving a life sentence in labour camp in North Korea. He was involved in transporting religious and humanitarian goods for North Koreans when he was arrested in 2014.

Kim Jong Uk (59) worked in China with North Korean refugees. He was arrested in 2013 when he entered North Korea with Bibles. In 2014 he was sentenced to life imprisonment in labour camp.

Kim Kuk-gi (61) is serving a life sentence in labour camp in North Korea. He was helping North Korean defectors in China when he was arrested in 2014 and charged with spying and spreading religious propaganda.

The renewed call for the release of the three missionaries was made following a ruling by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on 12 March.

The Working Group had been tasked with investigating the long detention of the three Christian missionaries following a petition filed in July 2024 by the families of the missionaries, in which they requested a judgment on the legality of their prolonged imprisonment. The North Korean government representative had argued that the petition was “politically motivated” and that the detentions did not violate international law.

However, this was rejected by the Working Group which stated that the imprisonment of the three men constitutes a violation of international law.

The report from the Working Group stated:  “The detention of Mr. Jung-wook Kim, Mr. Kook-ki Kim and Mr. Chun-gil Choi [alternative spellings for Kim Jong-Uk, Kim Kuk-gi  and Choi Chun-gil],  is arbitrary as they have been deprived of their liberty for reasons of discriminatory intent against them, because they were foreign nationals and because of their religious and humanitarian work as Christian missionaries.

“The Working Group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Jung-wook Kim, Mr. Kook-kie Kim and Mr. Chun-gil Choi immediately and accord them an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”

The decision comes in response to a petition filed last July by the families of the detained missionaries, requesting a judgment on the legality of their prolonged imprisonment.

South Korean government response

The day after the United Nations Working Group report was published, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification issued a statement condemning North Korea’s actions as a “blatant violation of international law.”

Kim In-ae (Deputy spokesperson at South Korea’s Ministry of Unification) said, “The international community has officially confirmed that North Korea’s detention of these individuals is illegal. We strongly urge North Korea to immediately and unconditionally release our citizens.”

She also said South Korea would work closely with the international community, including the United States and Britain, to resolve the issue swiftly.

(Korea Herald, Korea Times)

 Images: Choi Chun-gil (Republic of Korea Ministry of Unification)

Kim Jong-Uk  (Voice of the Martyrs Korea)

Kim Kuk-gi (Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte)