Daily NK recently conducted a survey of 40 North Korean defectors in China that revealed their greatest hopes for 2024.
From Jan. 2 to Jan. 8, a Daily NK source in China surveyed 40 North Korean defectors about their hopes for 2024. The women were all over the age of 20 and lived across 23 provinces, four municipalities, five autonomous regions, and two special administrative regions in China.
A total of 35 respondents expressed hope that they would not be repatriated to North Korea. Indeed, the common thread among the defectors interviewed was that they wished the North Korean authorities would give up on them and let them live in peace.
Following last year’s forced repatriation of hundreds of North Koreans detained in China, many North Korean defectors in China continue to express fear and anxiety about the possibility of being repatriated, the source told Daily NK.
In particular, North Korean women living in rural areas expressed a desire to live without fear of repatriation, which the source said was representative of “the higher level of anxiety among North Korean women living in rural areas than among North Korean women living in bustling cities.”
He added, “In fact, North Korean women living in rural areas suffer not only from fear of North Korea, but also from statelessness and surveillance by their Chinese families.”
A total of 26 of the 40 respondents said they hope to be able to communicate safely with their families in North Korea. Meanwhile, 10 of the 40 respondents expressed the hope that routes to South Korea would be reopened this year.
“Among the many wishes expressed by the defectors, the most heartbreaking was that they hoped North Korea would forget about them and stop efforts to repatriate them, and that they would be able to communicate freely and safely with their families in North Korea,” the source said.
Many women in their 20s expressed a desire to become Chinese citizens. In fact, most of them were optimistic about their chances of obtaining Chinese citizenship, saying that since they defected as teenagers and now speak fluent Chinese, they would be able to obtain citizenship if they found a husband with money and close ties to the police.
North Korean women in China in their 40s and 50s, on the other hand, said they would never obtain Chinese citizenship because China is a “brother nation” to North Korea.
All 40 North Korean women in China were asked: “Do you think the treatment of North Koreans in China will improve this year?” Only 11 (27.5%) said yes, while 29 (72.5%) said no.
“North Korean defectors in China are under psychological pressure due to fears of increased crackdowns and surveillance by the Chinese state. That’s because the Chinese government says that contacting North Korea or South Korea by phone or messenger service, as well as sending and receiving packages, are all violations of the country’s [recently revised] anti-espionage law.”
Echoing previous Daily NK reporting, the source added that “North Korean defectors who thought they would be treated better were told that they would never be caught by the police unless they committed crimes or caused trouble. Chinese authorities also told them that as long as they had a good Chinese husband, they would be treated well.”
Translated by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources who live in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information-gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
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