The Marmot’s Hole

Mongolian ambassador to Korea Perenlei Urjinlkhundev said in a press conference Nov. 19 (and only being reported now) that his nation would help North Korean defectors that make it to Mongolia, but refugee camps were right out for the moment:

The Mongolian government opposes establishing a refugee camp for North Korean defectors, but will assist in their transferal to a third country of their choice, said Mongolian Ambassador to South Korea Perenlei Urjinlkhundev.

The ambassador’s relaying of the government’s official line is significant because it showed ruptures with China on the issue, despite both countries being traditional allies of North Korea. China has adopted a hardline stance on the issue of defectors, intensifying moves recently by urging the North to deploy more troops along their common border.

The ambassador suggested at a press conference held in tandem with Mongolia’s Constitution Day Nov. 19 that the nation was treading a fine diplomatic line between the two Koreas, both of which it has established good relations with. He said Mongolia neither meant to offend North Korea and other countries in the region nor cause any conflicts of interest, adding, however, that defectors would not be repatriated once they had entered the country.

The fact that Mongolia and China might differ on policy shouldn’t come as a major surprise given their traditional bilateral relationship (crappy). The ambassador also dismissed speculation Mongolia would soon be accepting aid from Washington in return for helping defectors make it to the United States as “groundless.”

The good Mongolian ambassador also conducted an interview with Ye Olde Chosun, which I link here mostly for my own future reference. Korean readers, of course, might enjoy it. Apparently, he had also served as the Mongolian ambassador to North Korea as well.

Interestingly enough, while I was checking out the KCNA (via Anonymouse, thanks to the Ministry of Information and Communication), I noticed that the Mongolian Embassy in Pyongyang prepared feasts on Nov. 23 and 25 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Mongolia. Unsurprisingly, these were attended by some North Korean officials, including Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kung Sok-ung. No word on whether any of them tried to sneak out of the legation with a whole sheep, but I’d imagine the booz were probably easy enough to stuff in their pockets.

On a more serious note, NK Chosun cites a report from Radio Free Asia (which I can’t seem to find) that claims that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Yong-il, when he visited UB in August, suggested that Mongolia take North Korean citizens in the Land of the Great Blue Sky and put ‘em to work on collective farms or constructing social overhead capital. Quoting some northeast Asia specialist from American University, the report said Kim was referring to both North Koreans who entered Mongolia legally and those who entered not so legally, i.e., defectors. NK Chosun said if the report was true, it would seem to be a response to calls from South Korean and U.S. North Korean human rights groups to construct camps for North Korean defectors in Mongolia.

On a non-Korean but kinda Mongolia note, the Chosun Ilbo is also reporting that the Russian Foreign Ministry has apparently issued a visa to the Dalai Lama so that the bald guy can visit the Kalmyk Republic. The Dalai Lama will visit Mongolia-on-the-Volga from Monday and return Dec. 1. The Russian Foreign Ministry had revealed Friday that it intended to issue the visa, but remained silent on whether it actually did. The Tibetan government-in-exile in India announced Sunday, however, that the Dalai Lama had received the visa and would begin his trip as scheduled.