1. The government of the Republic of Korea deeply regrets the prejudiced remarks recently made by a responsible senior government official of Japan regarding North Korean refugees in a hypothetical situation, as they are based on a nationalistic perspective and run counter to international norms concerning refugee protection.

2. The government of the Republic of Korea sternly calls for restraint from making remarks that could cause unnecessary misunderstanding regarding the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and/or have any negative impact on peace and security on the Peninsula.


* unofficial translation