South Korea's spy agency has,... for the first time,... opened its interrogation center for North Korean defectors to the media.
The National Intelligence Service wants to make the process more transparent amid claims of mistreatment in a recent espionage case.
Kim Min-ji reports. Over 10-thousand North Korean defectors have passed through the gates of this interrogation center, run by the National Intelligence Service, since it opened in December 2008.
Recently revealed to the media,... the center is where defectors first enter,... before starting new lives in the South.
They first go through an inquiry process to check whether or not they are trying to pass themselves off as defectors.
The process lasts for an average of five days,... and an examiner conducts one-on-one talks with the defector,... who's every move is observed.
During this period,... defectors stay in a room equipped with a bed and washroom,... and are required to eat here,... and they are not allowed to come into contact with other defectors.
If the examiner finds nothing suspicious,... the defector is sent to Hanawon,... or the settlement support center for North Korean refugees.
"The conditions are very good."
"So good that you don't want to leave?"
"I do want to go out."
When the inquiry process lasts longer than expected,... defectors are given a single room where they can be kept for up to six months.
If they act suspiciously,... they are handed over to the investigation department.
Although such a procedure is necessary,... problems have surfaced recently.
There have been allegations of inhumane treatment,... including threats or cajoling,... and it's hard to identify whether the management is transparent and fair.
Moreover, the process is not recorded.
As it's an inquiry,.. not an investigation,... defectors do not sign a statement,... nor can they check the statement on a computer.
"Did they type what you said onto the computer,... and tell you to check it afterwards?"
"There wasn't anything like that during my inquiry process."
During the inquiry,... defectors are not allowed to speak to a lawyer.
Some legal experts say the spy agency should not be in charge of both the procedure and management,... adding that the unification ministry,... which handles inter-Korean affairs, should monitor the management procedure,... so the process is more transparent.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.
