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Source: CIC Source Date: November 21, 2007 It is with much sadness that we write to ask for your help in seeking the protection and release of a very brave North Korean man, Mr Yoo Sang-joon. Mr Yoo tragically lost his young son as he tried to escape from China and has since been trying to rescue other North Koreans from danger in China. Sadly he was arrested near the Mongolian border and we have just heard that Mr Yoo is due to be tried in Inner Mongolia, China at 9 am on Monday 26th November 2007. Mr Yoo’s arrest and story were reported in The Sunday Times on 18th November 2007. The article ‘Death awaits Korea’s escape mastermind’ can be viewed at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2891008.ece. Mr Yoo visited the United Kingdom to share his story at the invitation of CSW in November 2002 and his heartbreaking experiences have often been key in highlighting the tragedy of life for North Koreans. Mr Yoo’s wife and youngest son died in the North Korean famine. Severely weakened by the famine himself, Mr Yoo realised that the same fate was likely to befall him and his remaining son, Chul Min, if they stayed in North Korea. Despite the high risks involved, they fled to China where they suffered much hardship. Unable to travel together, Chul Min, aged 10, attempted to escape across the Mongolian border. However, unfamiliar with the inhospitable terrain, he wandered for 26 hours and, suffering from dehydration and weakened from the famine, he tragically died before crossing the Mongolian border. We are naturally gravely concerned for Mr Yoo’s welfare. Activists in South Korea consider this a unique case, highlighting both the tragic background and the redemptive sacrificial motivation of Mr Yoo. Clearly his own loss has motivated immense humanitarian concern for others at risk and we sincerely hope that China will not punish Mr Yoo for simply seeking to implement the protection which China should be providing as a party to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its Protocol. Although Mr Yoo is now a South Korean citizen, the broad international nature of the issues concerned, alongside the concerns expressed for his welfare as a North Korean, are prompting urgent calls for international intervenion with China before the trial on Monday to seek his protection. Those close to Mr Yoo hope that the outcome could be a swift deportation to South Korea as opposed to other more grim possibilities. The trial date has come unusually quickly and it is felt that the Chinese may be seeking to deal with the issue swiftly before further international attention is attracted, especially in the light of the forthcoming Beijing Olympics. We would be most grateful if you could write to the Chinese authorities to convey your concern for Mr Yoo as a matter of urgency before the trial on Monday. Addresses are provided below. As time is very short for messages to be conveyed to the relevant authorities in China by the end of the week, we would be grateful if you could use the fastest forms of communication, including fax where available. We do of course covet your prayers for Mr Yoo’s release and welfare at this time. We pray that as we raise our voices together freedom and justice will come for Mr Yoo. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and pray. May God bless you as you speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Yours in Christ,
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