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BEIJING -- The Chinese government forcibly closed down a press conference held Wednesday by a Grand National Party (GNP) delegation currently visiting China to investigate the kidnapping of Reverend Kim Dong-shik and issues involving North Korean defectors.
The authorities switched off lights and microphones at the venue and blocked reporters from entering. China likely sparked a diplomatic row with Seoul by using force against lawmakers of a nation with which it enjoys formal diplomatic relations.
When GNP parliamentarians Kim Moon-soo, Choi Byung-gook, Bae Il-do and Park Seung-hwan entered the conference venue at Beijing's Changcheng Hotel around 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, Chinese officials turned off the microphones and lights. The officials had told the Korean lawmakers before the event that if the press conference was not called off within two minutes, they would take action.
The officials told some 30 Korean and international journalists including reporters from AP, Reuters, NHK and Kyodo News to leave the premises, and roughly barred reporters attempting to enter. Despite the efforts of the Chinese, the lawmakers were able to explain their mission to some of the remaining reporters and distribute a press release.
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Korean human rights activists rally in front of the main government office in central Seoul on December 15, 2004, urging the administration to actively deal with the kidnapping of cleric Kim Dong-shik by North Korea.
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Rep. Kim Moon-soo said that at 1:34, the Korean Embassy in Beijing asked the lawmakers to cancel the press conference because it had not been approved by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, but Moon refused to comply because the event had already been scheduled. He added it was incredible that the Chinese government would behave in such a way toward a delegation that came to China on diplomatic passports.
The GNP delegation stayed at the venue until late in the afternoon asking to be allowed to conclude the press conference. Their appeals fell on deaf ears from the Chinese authorities.
The lawmakers had planned to ask China for help in confirming the whereabouts and securing the release of the Reverend Kim Dong-shik, who was reportedly abducted to North Korea from Yenji, China in 2000.
In the press statement, delegates asked China to turn over documents related to Kim's kidnapping and confirm his whereabouts in accordance with a judicial cooperation treaty between Seoul and Beijing. The lawmakers also asked Chinese authorities to guarantee North Korean defectors safe passage through China to a country of their choosing.
The Korean Foreign Ministry said it asked the Chinese Foreign Ministry for permission to hold the press conference, but was told an event addressing the matters the lawmakers wished to raise would need approval from concerned bodies.
(Cho Jung-shik, jscho@chosun.com )
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