N. Korea demands probe into restaurant workers' defection

By Yi Whan-woo

North Korea's state-run media outlets are insisting on opening an investigation into a claim that 12 North Korean waitresses in China were kidnapped by South Korea in 2016.

They are also asking for the punishment of those responsible for plotting the abduction and producing propaganda that the restaurant workers defected to the South en masse.

They reiterated Pyongyang's call to repatriate the waitresses and warned that any failure could "result in obstacles" for a reunion of separated families planned from Aug. 20 to 26.

The status of the North Korean waitresses have been hotly debated, especially since May when their male manager revealed that he tricked them into going to the South at the bidding of the National Intelligence Service.

The incident took place under the conservative Park Geun-hye administration. The Moon Jae-in government maintains the view that the 12 young women defected of their own free will and rules out their family members' claim that they were forcibly taken to the South.

The debate apparently embarrassed the South that had accused the North of violating human rights and being uncooperative in humanitarian efforts such as the reunion of the separated families.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights, gave the upper hand to the Kim Jong-un regime, too. In a July 10 press conference in Seoul, he called for a "thorough and independent" probe and said those responsible need to be held accountable.

"Although it is too late, the South Korean government should acknowledge its inhumane criminal acts committed under the Park government, open an investigation to find out the truth and put those who are responsible under heavy punishment," an op-ed of the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party said Saturday.

It said the South should immediately return the abductees and show its determination to implement a declaration jointly announced by Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their first summit at Panmunjeom in April.

"A failure to return our people urgently could result in an obstacle for reunion of the separated families and the future of North-South relations."

The newspaper lashed out at the Moon administration for repeatedly assuring it would root out the ill practices witnessed during the Park administration while being reluctant to deal with the abduction-related issues."

Also on Saturday, the Korean Central News Agency argued repatriating the restaurant works was "a matter that should not be delayed any longer," saying "How the South deals with the case will help us judge its willingness to improve cross-border relations."

On Friday, the North's Uriminzokkiri propaganda website warned that any delay in resolving the issue could negatively affect inter-Korean relations.

"We will closely watch what action the South Korean government will take," it said.

Meari, another North Korean propaganda website, claimed that the North Korean workers were "kidnapped," and warned against a failure to resolve the issue.

Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at Korea National Diplomatic Academy, speculated that the Kim regime is not bluffing, saying "The reunion of the separated families does not interest them much."

"The regime has only agreed on cross-border cooperation in sports, culture and humanitarian issues because it wants economic aid in return ultimately," the professor said. "It would not worry much about calling off the reunion."