Activists in the United States are mounting a campaign advocating not traveling to Beijing for next year's Olympics unless China grants the UN's refugee agency access to help North Korean refugees in the country, Reuters reported. The campaign is the latest of many similar efforts targeted at the Beijing games over human rights issues. The activists, comprised of mainly Korean-American religious and civic groups, said China should stop the "persecution" of North Korean refugees, most of whom came over fleeing famine in the 1990s. The group is planning publicity campaigns in South Korea and Japan next month. China does not recognize North Koreans as refugees, preventing them from getting help from the United Nations High Commissioner's Office. It has also repatriated some refugees. Up to 300,000 North Koreans may be living in China.
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