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It was learned Sunday that there were serious diplomatic aftermaths following the airlift of 468 North Korea defectors to the South from Vietnam. According to Uri Party lawmakers who visited Vietnam from August 15-20, as local media widely reported on the mass entrance into South Korea of the defectors, the Vietnamese government, which had permitted the defectors to go to South Korea, received strong protests from the North Korean government and was placed in a very awkward situation. They said the Vietnamese authorities¡¯ mistrust of the South Korean government has grown.
Rep Im Jong-seok, who was a member of the team, said North Korea severely protested to the Vietnamese government, and the Vietnamese are extremely embarrassed and in a situation they cannot endure. He also said that because of this incident, the escape route for defectors has been completely shut off, and the Vietnamese government can no longer help with defectors.
Im also said that North Korea has made three formal protests to Vietnam, a long-time ally. He added that the Vietnamese government said it was friendly toward South Korea, the fourth largest investor in Vietnam, but because of this incident, it would take some time before the relationship of trust between the two nations recovered. Rep. Song Yeong-gil said Unification Minister Chung Dong-young conveyed his regrets to the Vietnamese for the friction caused by the airlift of North Korean defectors.
During its time in Vietnem, the Uri Partly team met with high-ranking Vietnamese figures like Government Office Minister Doan Mahn Giao, Transportation Minister Dao Dinh Binh and Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Do Trung Ta.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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