South Korea has submitted a set of questions to the United Nations for the first time for an upcoming universal periodic review (UPR) to address China’s forced repatriation of North Korean refugees, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

UPR is a mechanism that calls for each U.N. member state to go through a peer review of its human rights record every 4.5 years.

China’s UPR, slated for Jan. 23, is expected to look into controversial issues, including human rights issues in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

“Our written questions include one on the refugee application procedure that is accessible to defectors from abroad, including North Korea,” ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk told a regular press briefing.

A ministry official said it also inquires about ways to protect and assist the women of North Korea and other nationalities who are exposed to human trafficking, forced marriage and other forms of exploitation, as well as ensuring the protection of women categorized as “illegal immigrants” and thei
r children born in China.

This marks the first time Seoul has submitted a set of written questions on China’s UPR.

China has been accused of sending back North Korean refugees, which it views as illegal immigrants who crossed into China for economic reasons.

Activists have urged China to respect the international principle of non-refoulement to protect those who are at risk of facing human rights abuses upon return to their country.

Since the first periodic review in 2008, all 193 U.N. member countries have been reviewed three times. The fourth cycle of review started in November last year.

Source: Yonhap News Agency