After hearing about the recent repatriation of North Korean defectors living in China, an increasing number of defectors there are shelving plans to head to South Korea, Daily NK has learned.
“Reports about recent repatriations have been rapidly spreading here [in China], leaving many defectors anxious and afraid. An increasing number of people are saying they’ve given up any idea of going to South Korea,” a source in China told Daily NK on Monday.
According to the source, many defectors had been seeking brokers to lead them to South Korea after hearing that while many are caught on their way to South Korea, others make it there safely.
Because defectors are regarded as illegal aliens in China, they are excluded from most legal protections, as well as from welfare benefits such as health insurance. As a result, quite a few of them have resolved to leave China and go somewhere they can obtain legal status and greater security.
The lack of any notable action by the Chinese authorities following the repatriation of a large group of defectors in October 2023 had reportedly reassured some defectors that criticism from the international community was having an effect.
But the mood among defectors in China has shifted radically following recent reports from South Korea about additional repatriations. As a result, the source said, an increasing number of defectors intend to make a life for themselves in China without going to South Korea.
The current attitude of the local police has led many defectors in China to abandon their hopes of traveling to South Korea.
“The police have been telling defectors there’s no reason they would get arrested as long as they don’t commit crimes and encouraging them to go about their lives instead of foolishly attempting to go to South Korea and getting repatriated. That has led more defectors to decide to just make a home for themselves in China,” the source said.
But defectors remain anxious. Following the visit to North Korea on Apr. 11-13 by a high-ranking Chinese bureaucrat named Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, defectors in China reportedly feel more afraid of being repatriated than ever before.
“While the police reassure defectors that they won’t be arrested unless they commit a crime, they also say defectors need to answer the phone when they get a call and promptly show up at the station when asked to do so. That’s not conducive to peace of mind,” the source said.
“Defectors living in China can’t help feeling ongoing anxiety out of fear that they could be taken away [to North Korea] at any time.”
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
