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OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBK #3534/01 1651015
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O 141015Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9444
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2584
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 1204
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 1789
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR PRIORITY 0458
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0360
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI PRIORITY 1987
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 3516
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI PRIORITY 0030
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG PRIORITY 0297
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1651

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003534 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2016 
TAGS: PREF PGOV PREL PHUM KNEP KS TH
SUBJECT: TWO NORTH KOREANS JUMP EMBASSY WALL 
 
REF: STATE 58514 
 
BANGKOK 00003534  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR SUSAN SUTTON, REASON 1.4 (B,D) 
 
1.(U) This is an action request.  See para 6. 
 
¶2. (C) On Wednesday, June 14 at approximately 0400 Bangkok 
time, two males aged 17 and 22 and claiming to be North 
Koreans jumped the U.S. Embassy fence of the old office 
building compound.  They hid until the 0700 opening of 
business, whereupon they presented themselves to Embassy 
guards, identified themselves as North Koreans and were taken 
to the new office building across the street.  They were met 
and interviewed by the ARSO, RefCoord, Deputy RefCoord, and 
Embassy spouse interpreter at 0900.  In response to a 
question, the two stated they approached the Embassy to seek 
resettlement in the United States.  The two were 
unaccompanied and spoke minimal English and no Thai.  Embassy 
had no advance notice the two were coming. 
 
¶2. (C) RefCoord explained USG policy towards North Korean 
refugees to the two individuals.  Per reftel instructions, 
Refcoord referred the two to UNHCR.  Refcoord contacted and 
told UNHCR about the cases, expressed USG interest in them 
and indicated the USG would be willing to process the two for 
U.S. resettlement if they expressed interest in that.  UNHCR 
agreed to interview the two persons the same day.  Embassy 
Thai staff escorted the two by taxi to UNHCR where they were 
interviewed by the UNHCR South Korean secondee for 
nationality verification and resettlement country interest. 
UNHCR reported later that the two were North Koreans and 
interested in U.S. resettlement.  UNHCR issued persons of 
concern letters to them. 
 
¶3. (C) Biographical information on the two North Koreans 
follows.  What is notable about their cases is that they were 
waiting inside the ROK Embassy in Beijing for resettlement to 
the ROK and were close to the front of the queue when they 
heard about the U.S. resettlement of six North Koreans.  They 
then decided together to pursue the U.S. option and snuck out 
of the ROK Embassy.  They left Beijing on May 22. 
 
Name: P'yo Gum Bol 
DOB: August 1, 1989 
Father and older sister are currently resettled in the ROK. 
In response to the question of why he wanted U.S. 
resettlement when his father and sister were in the ROK, P'yo 
Gum Bol stated that his father had told him in a telephone 
conversation when he was still in China that life in the ROK 
was difficult.  P'yo Gum Bol's mother now lives in China.  He 
left the DPRK for China about 4 years ago. 
 
Name: Paek Un Ril 
DOB: December 3, 1984 
Paek Un Ril was in the DPRK military for two years as a 
sergeant in an air defense unit until he fled to China in 
August 2005. 
 
¶4. (C) Refugee Route of travel:  The two North Koreans left 
Beijing on May 22.  They reported no NGO guidance or 
assistance throughout their travel.  However, they were able 
to make contact with various Korean churches and communities 
in different Chinese cities on the way.  P'yo Gum Bol speaks 
Chinese and was able to locate Koreans in the Chinese cities 
they transited.  The churches they came in contact with 
provided ad hoc assistance in the form of food, money, and 
information about routes of travel to Thailand.  They 
traveled to the southern Chinese cities of Kunming and 
Jinghong and then crossed without complications into Laos. 
From Laos they stole a small boat and paddled across the 
Mekong river to Thailand near the town of Chiang Saen.  They 
were discovered by local Thai authorities who reportedly 
instructed them to return to Laos.  They recalled paddling 
down the river while the Thai authorities followed them in a 
vehicle along the shore.  When the patrol car eventually 
stopped following them, they were able to land safely on the 
Thai side of the river.  The NKs reported that they then 
traveled to the Thai town of Chiang Rai.  From Chiang Rai 
they caught an overnight bus to Bangkok and then a taxi to 
the U.S. Embassy.  It took them three days to reach Bangkok 
 
BANGKOK 00003534  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
from the time they entered Thailand. 
 
¶5. (C) Rumors: The two North Koreasn stated that one of the 
reasons they abandoned the sure route to ROK resettlement was 
because they heard that the USG announced that it would 
resettle 1000 North Korean asylum seekers.  Their hasty 
escape from the ROK Embassy in Beijing was to ensure that 
they were among the first 1000 to be considered.  They came 
with clear expectations that the USG would send them 
immediately to the United States and that the Embassy would 
take care of all their needs (food, shelter, clothing, 
transportation, etc.), including staying in the Embassy if 
necessary.  They were fully aware of the previous six North 
Koreans resettled to the U.S. though they claimed that six 
other North Koreans had also been resettled to the U.S.  They 
reported no knowledge of where the original six North Koreans 
were processed for resettlement. 
 
¶6. (C) Action Request: Please provide guidance on whether 
post should take further steps in processing these cases for 
U.S. resettlement.  P'yo Gum Bol is 17 years of age and 
therefore a minor.  As stated above, his father and older 
sister now live in the ROK.  If the Department were to decide 
to approve his case for U.S. resettlement processing, a Best 
Interests Determination (BID) would presumably be necessary. 
UNHCR told Refcoord June 14 that they were prepared to do a 
BID on his case, but believed they would likely find that he 
should be reunited with his father and sister in the ROK. 
BOYCE