Statement on the 10th Year of the Arbitrary Detention of Choi Chun-gil in North Korea

Statement on the 10th Year of the Arbitrary Detention of Choi Chun-gil in North Korea

Unification Spokesperson
December 3, 2024

This month marks the 10th year of Missionary Choi Chun-gil 's arbitrary detention by North Korea.

Missionary Choi Chun-gil was unlawfully arrested by the North Korean authorities in December 2014 and sentenced to lifelong "reform through labor" on June 23, 2015.

Currently, a total of six people are detained in North Korea, including three missionaries-Choi Chun-gil, Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie-and three North Korean defectors with Republic of Korea (ROK) citizenship.

North Korea's practice of unjustly and arbitrarily detaining missionaries is a blatant attempt to oppress freedom of religion or belief and silence the voice of the international community calling for human rights for the North Korean people.

The ROK Government strongly condemns the North Korean authorities for the unreasonable and excessive sentencing of our people without a fair and public trial by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal; the failure to provide basic procedural justice upon arrest and during detention; and the continued arbitrary detention of the six individuals to this day.

North Korean authorities do not provide even minimal information, such as confirmation of life or death about our nationals who were illegally arrested and are currently detained, adding to the suffering of their families over the years.

The ROK Government strongly urges the North, which is a party to major international human rights instruments, to immediately and unconditionally release our nationals who are illegally detained.

The ROK Government, while emphasizing the protection of our nationals as our top priority, will strive to resolve the issue as soon as possible by continuing to work in solidarity with the international community to secure information on the fate of our detainees, facilitate any possible communication between them and their families, and clearly demonstrate to the North our unwavering commitment toward the immediate return of all our nationals.