Anchor: Efforts are being made to prevent the repatriation of a North Korean who has lived on the run in Russia for nearly 20 years. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the man should not be sent to the North against his will.
Bruce Harrison has this report.
 
Report: North Korea sent Choi Myong-bok to work at a logging camp in the Russian Far East region of Amur Oblast. He escaped from the camp in 1999.

After hiding in St. Petersburg for nearly 20 years, Choi was arrested by Russian police at the end of last month. A Russian court ruled that he be sent back to North Korea on Friday. 
 
But Russian human rights groups are trying to block Choi’s repatriation.

They filed a motion with the European Court of Human Rights to stop Moscow from sending him to Pyongyang. The court ruled Choi must be protected from forced repatriation before he’s tried, which could take up to a year.
 
The European Court of Human Rights was established in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. Its rulings take effect in all of the 47 countries who signed the convention, including Russia, which joined the convention in 1998.
 
Russia and North Korea signed an agreement in 2014 to repatriate each other’s nationals found illegally entering their territories.
 
However, a majority of experts are saying that under the principle that prioritizes an international law over a domestic law or a bilateral agreement, the decision by the European Court of Human Rights on Choi should be respected.
 
Separately from the European Court, the Russian rights groups also appealed a lower Russian court’s decision granting Choi’s repatriation.
Bruce Harrison, KBS World Radio News.

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