At long last, the Shenyang saga of the five North Korean asylum seekers came to an end on Wednesday when they were allowed to leave China for South Korea via the Philippines. On May 8, the defectors were seized by Chinese police guards as they rushed into the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, northeastern China. The family arrived in Seoul on Thursday.
Their safe arrival in South Korea, following two weeks of police detention, is welcome. It was the result of a humanitarian decision that averted the worst: deportation to North Korea. Had they been sent back home, they certainly would have received harsh treatment from North Korean authorities.
For the Japanese government, however, the Shenyang incident has opened a Pandora's box. It has revealed, among other problems, a lack of capacity for crisis management and a poor sense of human rights. Tokyo must thoroughly examine exactly what has happened and take the necessary steps to prevent similar occurrences. It must also review its policy toward asylum seekers and refugees.