[Exclusive] South Korean lawmakers to join international alliance taking on China

Rep. Ji Seong-ho of the ruling People Power Party submits a resolution calling on China to refrain from forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors on Sept. 26. (courtesy of Ji’s office)

A delegation of South Korean lawmakers is joining an alliance of politicians challenging what it sees as China’s ambitions to change global norms to advance its interests.

The Inter-parliamentary Alliance on China will have its first delegation of South Korean lawmakers since launching on the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in June 2020.

One of the South Korean lawmakers to be accepted by the IPAC is Rep. Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector and human rights activist who entered the National Assembly in 2020.

The South Korean lawmakers’ membership in the cross-parliamentarian alliance is expected to expand their presence in the China conversations among democratic countries.

Earlier in September, Ji attended the IPAC summit held in Prague, Czech Republic, where he was invited to deliver a keynote speech raising concerns about China forcibly returning North Koreans detained there.

Following his attendance at the Prague summit, the lawmaker pushed to pass a ruling People Power Party-led resolution calling on China to end teh forcible repatriation of North Korean defectors in South Korea’s National Assembly.

The IPAC -- aimed at coordinating China containment efforts -- brings together dozens of lawmakers from around 30 countries, mainly from the US, the EU and Japan.

Ji is on a two-day trip to Tokyo from Sunday for the International Uyghur Forum, of which the IPAC is a co-organizer. The legislative alliance has led calls for joint actions on Uyghur abuses.

By Kim Arin(arin@heraldcorp.com)