VZCZCXRO7052
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0316 1000510
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 090510Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0662
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1647

C O N F I D E N T I A L PHNOM PENH 000316 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/K, AND PRM 
BANGKOK FOR REFCOORD TIM SCHERER 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2018 
TAGS: PREF KS KN CB
SUBJECT: (C) TWO NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES HEADED TO THE U.S., 
ONE NK APPLICANT REMAINS, AWAITING SAO SUBMITTED LAST 
SEPTEMBER 
 
REF: A. 07 PHNOM PENH 927 
     ¶B. 07 PHNOM PENH 298 
     ¶C. 07 PHNOM PENH 143 
     ¶D. 07 PHNOM PENH 78 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Janet Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Two North Korean refugees in Cambodia have 
been approved for U.S. resettlement and are scheduled to 
depart for the U.S. on April 16.  Police Commissioner Hok 
Lundy granted exit permission for the two individuals on 
April 9, after receiving the request only a few days before. 
Of the six North Korean individuals who were being reviewed 
by the U.S. for possible resettlement, only one individual 
will be left in Cambodia after April 16.  He came to the 
Embassy on January 17, 2007 -- one year and three months ago 
-- and his processing has been stuck in the Security Advisory 
Opinion (SAO) phase since September 2007.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Two North Korean refugees are ready to head to their 
new lives in the U.S. on April 16.  KIM Uk Chul (M) and YOON 
Ok Sun (F) approached the Embassy seeking resettlement in 
July 2007 (Ref A).  They are scheduled to depart Cambodia 
together to arrive in Greensboro, North Carolina on April 17. 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Police Commissioner Hok Lundy, responsible for 
issuing exit permission for refugees on behalf of the 
Ministry of Interior, processed the exit request in only a 
few days.  International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
received word of the refugees' approved status less than one 
week ago.  The Embassy sent a letter to Hok Lundy requesting 
expedited processing so that the paperwork would not be 
delayed by the long Khmer New Year national holiday.  (Note: 
many government offices are expected to be closed for a week 
or longer starting April 11.  End note.) 
 
¶4.  (C) The two refugees were the fifth and sixth North 
Koreans to approach the Embassy seeking U.S. resettlement.  A 
group of four approached the Embassy January 17, 2007 (Ref 
D).  In February 2007, one of the original four decided not 
to pursue U.S. resettlement (Ref B); two others departed for 
the U.S. on November 19, 2007.  Of the six North Korean 
individuals who were being reviewed by the U.S. for possible 
resettlement, only one, KIM Myong, will be left in Cambodia 
after April 16.  Poloff agreed to meet with KIM Myong on 
April 9 after he had asked IOM staff repeatedly about his 
delayed processing time compared to the four other refugees. 
KIM Myong's processing has been in the Security Advisory 
Opinion (SAO) phase since September 2007 and has already been 
"refreshed" once due to a six-month expiration of SAOs that 
have not yet cleared.  Poloff told KIM that he has not been 
forgotten but that there is no way to estimate how long the 
processing time will take.  The Embassy will work with the 
Bangkok Refugee Coordinator to request a possible expedited 
review of the SAO. 
 
¶5.  (C) Comment:  We are pleased with Police Commissioner Hok 
Lundy's cooperation in expeditiously processing the exit 
permits for the two individuals.  We have also been impressed 
at his and other immigration officials' discreet handling of 
the cases, including at the airport.  During the quiet 
November departure, no one at the airport noticed the North 
Koreans' comings and goings.  We continue to request 
information about North Koreans in Cambodia be kept 
close-hold.  Please refer to 07 PHNOM PENH 143 for details on 
the sensitive nature of these cases.  As part of IOM's 
cultural orientation training, IOM counsels North Korean 
refugees that they are not obliged to talk to the press once 
they are in the U.S.  End comment. 
MUSSOMELI