Editor’s note: The following article is an opinion piece by Min-Yong Lee, a visiting professor at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

The Chinese government recently shocked the world by forcibly repatriating hundreds of North Korean defectors, right after it hosted the Hangzhou Asian Games in October.

This was not the first time Beijing forcibly returned North Koreans to their country, as it has long been China’s policy to send back defectors.

Still, this time was notable because China simultaneously repatriated a large