North Korean refugees in South Korea

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In 2016, around 29,000 North Korean refugees lived in South Korea . The integration of these turns out to be a challenge for the South Korean government and society. Thus, North Korean refugees physically not as healthy as South Koreans , many also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or prejudice. This results in high school dropout rates and high youth unemployment.

Terms

Korean spelling
Korean alphabet : 북한 이탈 주민
Hanja : 北韓 離 脫 住民
Revised Romanization : Bukhanital yumin
McCune-Reischauer : Pukhanit'alchumin

While North Korean refugees are usually spoken of in German-speaking countries, the term North Korean defector ' North Korean defector ' is widespread in English-language media . Increasingly, however, the term North Korean refugee is used. Another variation is North Korean resettler 'North Korean emigrant'.

In South Korea, the terms 북한 이탈 주민 Bukhanitaljumin and 탈북자 Talbukja 'person who fled North Korea' have been mainly used since the late 1990s .

Escape routes to South Korea

Some routes from North Korea to South Korea via transit countries.

On the way to South Korea, China is usually a transit country for North Korean refugees. The North Korean-Chinese border runs along the Amnok and Tuman Rivers . Both rivers arise from the 2750 m high mountain Paektu , through which the border also runs.

The Chinese government now regards the refugees as illegal immigrants fleeing for economic reasons rather than persecution. Recognition of refugee status is refused, although the representatives of China have signed the Geneva Refugee Convention . However, China has in mind that North Korea is not one of the signatory states, and therefore sees it as its duty to send the refugees back on the basis of various agreements with North Korea.

In the past, the North Koreans stayed mainly in northeast China, where ethnic Koreans also make up a large part of the population (see Yanbian ). From the noughties onwards , however, they were also spread across other regions such as Beijing , Qingdao , Shanghai and the Tibetan region.

In China, they cannot legally seek refugee protection in South Korea, which is why they usually have to flee further via third countries. This can be done with the help of an intermediary who smuggles the people into South Korea. North Koreans who face the authorities in South Korea receive financial aid as refugees.

There are Christian missionary groups in China who take care of the North Korean refugees. This is also one reason why so many North Korean refugees are converting to Christianity. According to Ju Hui Judy Han, the flight from North Korea does not represent salvation in the eyes of Christian missionaries if the refugees do not convert to Christianity. Bribes are often necessary to save the refugees, such as paying smugglers and smugglers. This is considered very critical as it supports these groups. Brokers also lure North Koreans in China to South Korea to bring them briefly to the south, where they would get money and then be able to return them. However, the South Korean government does not allow people to go back to the north easily because there are no legal ways to do so under the current legal situation.

Reasons to flee

Along with the famine in North Korea in the 1990s, a black market ( 장마당 Jangmadang ) formed because the country's economic system no longer worked. As a result, the government also lost control of the internal and external flow of information. DVDs , CDs , USB sticks and more are traded on the black market. In 2006, 350,000 DVD players are said to have been imported from China. By manipulating the devices, it is also possible to receive foreign TV and radio stations. As in all of Asia , South Korean television dramas are popular in North Korea. From the information, North Koreans also learn about the superior economic position of South Korea.

For the refugees of the past 20 years, the main reasons for fleeing have been the difficulty of surviving in North Korea and the fear of punishment. According to a survey by the Korea Hana Foundation in 2001, the main reason for fleeing was “financial difficulties and hunger” with 66.7%. But in 2016 this figure is only 12%. Instead, the reason “longing for freedom” rose from 9.6% to 34.8% in the same period. From these figures it is concluded that more people flee to improve their quality of life and not more to survive. In 2001, only 19.4% of the refugees surveyed said their income in North Korea was "sufficient". Fifteen years later this figure is 55.9%. In addition, the number of politically motivated refugees rose: from 6.2% in 2001 to 17.5% in 2016.

Resettlement program

According to the South Korean constitution, North Korean refugees are South Korean citizens. The South Korean government never abandoned its claim to sole representation and sees itself as the only legitimate authority of Korea. Accordingly, shortly after their arrival in South Korea, they will also receive South Korean documents. Every North Korean refugee received an aid package under the 1962 Act, which was revised in 1978. Defectors who provided particularly valuable information could also receive prizes. These could be very generous, in the amount of several years' salaries for an average South Korean. Until 1997, payouts were set in gold instead of won , as defectors may have little confidence in the stability of paper currencies. But even without these prices, the state social payments to the North Korean refugees were sufficient for a comfortable life. Before President Roh Moo-hyun came into power , refugees received around 37 million won. However, in order to encourage them to take their lives into their own hands, the rate was reduced to 7 to 13 million won. In 2016, the Ministry of Reunification announced that this rate would now be gradually increased again, as most of the money would be used to pay for smugglers. The South Korean state also provided apartments for the deserters. In addition, each defector had the opportunity to study at the South Korean university of their choice.

However, a formal investigation will take place beforehand to find out whether the refugee is actually a North Korean refugee. It is also worth noting that not all North Koreans automatically enjoy South Korea's protection; if the refugee has a criminal past, he will not be granted South Korean citizenship.

After their arrival, the refugees are first checked by the South Korean secret service, above all to see whether they pose a threat and whether they actually come from North Korea. This can take up to six months. After this process, the refugees are taken to a facility called Hanawon . There they are taught for twelve weeks, including Korean history , democracy , the market economy and receive psychological support. After they leave Hanawon, they receive a one-time integration payment and housing allowance as well as a contact person who supports them for two years. There is no centralized point of contact that controls all the integration programs. Instead, the aid measures are distributed among individual ministries and government organizations.

Facility Main tasks
Ministry of Unification Hanawon , housing allocation, resettlement payment, family registration, Korea Hana Foundation, Hana Center
National Police Agency Protection (for six months)
Ministry of Education National Center for Multi-cultural Education, alternative schools, preferential admission programs, tuition support
Ministry of Employment and Labor vocational training, management of training agencies, worker protection
Ministry of Health and Welfare Social security, medical care
Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Migrant Youth Foundation
Municipal and Provincial Authorities residential protection, certificate issuance, and other administrative assistance
Source: Sung Jiyoung & Go Myong-Hyun, 2014.

history

From 1910 until the end of World War II in 1945 , Korea was under Japanese rule . As a result, Korea was divided on the 38th parallel into a Soviet occupation zone in the north and an American occupation zone in the south . About two thirds of the population of Korea lived within the American occupation zone, the industrial centers and resources were in the north. This also contributed to the north's initial economic superiority. Nevertheless, by the time the states of North and South Korea were founded in 1948, a third of the population migrated from the north to the south. These were forced laborers and politically persecuted such as landowners, businessmen and political opponents of Kim Il-sung . During the same period, only around 4,000 people moved from the south to the north, mostly out of political conviction. From 1950 to 1953 the two countries were at war . Then the demilitarized zone was established. In 1953, after the war ended, prisoners were exchanged. Until the 1990s, the number of refugees from North to South Korea was comparatively low, on the one hand because of the border controls and on the other hand because of the economic strength. Every year between five and ten people from the North Korean elite were able to provide the South with valuable information. The government in the south also used these refugees for propaganda purposes . In 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved and from 1994 to 1998 there was a great famine in North Korea. This situation led to greater freedom of trade and travel for North Koreans and the number of refugees to the south rose sharply. The economic liberalization of the People's Republic of China since 1978 and the collapse of border controls made it possible for people to flee from the border regions in particular, who were badly affected by the famine. China initially met the North Korean refugees positively, as many Chinese found refuge in North Korea at the time of the Cultural Revolution .

With the change in refugee demographics, the attitude of the South Korean government also changed. When only a few refugees from the North Korean elite arrived, the government of South Korea encouraged North Koreans to flee. However, when more and more impoverished sections of the population came who integrated less well, the South Korean government turned away from this policy and no longer encouraged people to flee. At the beginning of October 2016, however, South Korean President Park Geun-hye encouraged North Koreans to flee. The opposition politicians criticized Park for her speech that she could provoke the North Korean regime.

Criterion / year until 1998 until 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 (preliminary) total
Male 831 565 510 474 626 424 515 573 608 662 591 795 404 369 305 251 213 000000000008716.00000000008,716
Female 116 478 632 811 000000000001272.00000000001,272 960 000000000001513.00000000001,513 000000000001981.00000000001,981 000000000002195.00000000002,195 000000000002252.00000000002,252 000000000001811.00000000001,811 000000000001911.00000000001.911 000000000001098.00000000001,098 000000000001145.00000000001,145 000000000001092.00000000001,092 000000000001024.00000000001,024 823 000000000021114.000000000021,114
total 947 000000000001043.00000000001,043 000000000001142.00000000001,142 000000000001285.00000000001,285 000000000001898.00000000001,898 000000000001384.00000000001,384 000000000002028.00000000002,028 000000000002554.00000000002,554 000000000002803.00000000002,803 000000000002914.00000000002,914 000000000002402.00000000002,402 000000000002706.00000000002,706 000000000001502.00000000001,502 000000000001514.00000000001,514 000000000001397.00000000001,397 000000000001275.00000000001,275 000000000001036.00000000001,036 000000000029830.000000000029,830
Proportion of women 12% 46% 55% 63% 67% 69% 75% 78% 78% 77% 75% 70% 72% 76% 78% 80% 80% 71%
Source: Ministry of Reunification, 2016.

In the beginning the few refugees in the elite were mainly men, but now around 80% of all refugees are women. The Ministry of Reunification justifies this because women have relatively more freedom to move within the country. When men don't show up at work, they are looked for. However, women are exempt from such obligations and can cross the border into China with relative ease. Men complete their military service for over ten years.

More than 50% of the refugees come from the province of North Hamgy Provinzng , which lies directly on the Chinese border.

Integration challenges

language

Communication is initially a problem for many resettlers from North Korea. During the years of division, the Korean language has developed differently in the two countries. While South Korean is interspersed with Anglicisms , these are foreign to North Korean. However, there are also various groups that are committed to making it easier for North Koreans to enter South Korea. So that was smart phone - app univoca (글동무 Geuldongmu ) programmed to photograph the one South Korean texts and they are finally "translated" into North Korean.

Physical differences between North Korean refugees and South Koreans

North Korean refugee children are usually smaller than their South Korean peers and weigh less. A study by Pak (2010) of 1,406 North Korean refugee children shows that North Korean boys were on average 10.1 cm and girls 7.2 cm shorter than South Korean children of that age. In terms of weight, boys were 11.1 kg and girls 3.8 kg lighter. In addition, due to malnutrition, puberty did not set in until later. The study also showed that height depends on the age at which the person fled. The earlier the escape, the bigger the child becomes. However, the nutrition of many refugee children in South Korea is not good either.

Early school leaving and unemployment

The employment rate of North Korean refugees rose from 36.9% (2007) to 54.6% (2016).

Many refugees are also said to want to deliberately remain unemployed, as they often get more money from the welfare system than from work. For example, female refugees mostly work in restaurants and then usually receive the minimum wage . Men, on the other hand, mostly work full-time and receive a higher income.

prejudices

North Korean refugees also face prejudice and discrimination in South Korea. According to Ju Hui Judy Han from the University of Toronto, there is a view in South Korea that all North Korean women were victims of the "immoral" sex industry on their flight and that this casts a cultural stigma on women. In addition, North Korean women are considered less spoiled by status symbols and feminism and also more beautiful. This leads to a fetishization of North Korean women in South Korea.

In South Korea, North Korean refugees receive a South Korean identity card ( 주민등록증 Jumin Deungnok Jeung ). There is no legal distinction between South and North Koreans. This also shows a thirteen-digit registration number. The second and third digits of the last seven digits provide information about the place of registration. For North Korean refugees it used to be the number of the city of Anseong , 25. This way the refugees could be identified and people who were registered or even born in Ansung had to fight anti-northern prejudices. These included difficulties finding a job or getting a visa to China. However, in June 2007 the registration regime was changed and the numbers now show the code for the refugees' first place of residence after leaving Hanawon . A representative from the South Korean embassy in Ottawa said that the law was changed in 2010 to make it impossible to use identity cards to determine whether a person is a North Korean refugee.

Movies

Films also deal with the situation of North Korean refugees in South Korea. Above all, they should mention the film The Journals of Musan (2011) by Park Jung-bum . This is based on the life of a friend of the director Park Jung-bum, the North Korean refugee Jeon Seung-chul. It describes his life in South Korea and the difficulties of finding a job, discrimination, poverty. The film received numerous awards at various film festivals. The 2008 film Crossing by Kim Tae-gyun deals with the escape of a North Korean to South Korea, who ends up there by chance after trying to get medicine for his sick wife in China.

Television broadcasts

Since 2011, more and more TV channels have been devoting themselves to North Korean refugees. In that year the broadcasters Channel A and TV Chosun were founded, which looked for provocative topics in order to gain audience appeal. Channel A established the Now On My Way to Meet You ( 이제 만나러 갑니다 Ije Mannareo Gamnida ) format , in which female refugees talk about fashion, beauty and music. One aim of the program is to dispel the prejudice that North Koreans have no fashion consciousness. The early cast included Park Yeonmi , Lee Hyeonseo and Kim Eunsun , who gained international fame through their biographies , lectures and appearances and are active as human rights activists.

Due to the success of the show, other formats followed: Love Reunification: Namnam Bungnyeo ( 애정 통일 남남북녀 , TV Chosun), Jalsarabose ( 잘 살아 보세 , Channel A) and Moranbong Club ( 만나면 흥 하리! 모란봉 클럽 , TV Chosun). These broadcasts show a picture apart from politics and threats, but critics claim they spread false claims and play with prejudice. The broadcasters are accused of providing the refugees with incorrect information or of exaggerating the stories in order to add entertainment value.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ This is a total of all North Korean refugees who came to South Korea. This may also include people who have already died or who have returned to North Korea or traveled to other countries. However, since most of them came to South Korea within the last 20 years, it can be assumed that the number roughly expresses the actual status of North Korean refugees in South Korea.
  2. ↑ Further designations can be found in South Korea's Government Policy on North Korean Defectors. In: Central for teaching media on the Internet . Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, 2009, accessed November 18, 2016 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sung Jiyoung, Go Myong-Hyun: Resettling in South Korea: Challenges for Young North Korean Refugees . In: The Asan Institute for Policy Studies . tape 24/2014 , August 8, 2014 ( online ).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Andrei Lankow : Bitter Taste of Paradise: North Korean Refugees in South Korea . In: Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland (eds.): The North Korean Refugee Crisis: Human Rights and International Response . US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Washington, DC 2006, ISBN 0-9771111-1-3 , pp. 53–72 ( hrnk.org [PDF; 1,2 MB ; accessed on November 19, 2016]).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Norbert Eschborn, Ines Apel: North Korean refugees in South Korea. Stressful escape and difficult integration . In: KAS foreign information . tape 8/2014 . Berlin August 25, 2014, p. 64-91 ( online ).
  4. ↑ a b c d e Gianluca Spezza: Are North Koreans 'free' after they defect? In: NK News. June 9, 2014, accessed on March 23, 2015 (Interview with the author on her article → Ju Hui Judy Han: Beyond Safe Haven. A Critique of Christian Custody of North Korean Migrants in China . In: Critical Asian Studies . Volume 45 , no. 4 , November 18, 2013, p. 533-560 , doi : 10.1080 / 14672715.2013.851153 . ).
  5. ↑ Kim Bo-eun: N. Koreans seeking to return home pin hopes on Moon government. In: Korea Times . July 26, 2017, accessed July 27, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Lucy Craft: TV drama from South saturates black market in North Korea, bringing hope, and risk. In: CBS NEWS. December 10, 2013, accessed November 23, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Lee Sang Yong: SBS drama 'Dr. Stranger 'Getting Northern Viewers. In: Daily NK. June 18, 2014, accessed November 23, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Je Son Lee: Do North Koreans like K-pop? In: NK News. June 17, 2015, accessed November 23, 2016 .
  9. ^ Yoon Min-sik: S. Korean culture seeping into N. Korea. In: The Korea Herald . December 29, 2016, accessed December 29, 2016 .
  10. ^ South Korea's Government Policy on North Korean Defectors. In: Central for teaching media on the Internet . Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, 2009, accessed November 18, 2016 .
  11. ↑ a b c d e Yoon Min-sik: Number of NK defectors tops 30,000: ministry. In: The Korea Herald . November 13, 2016, accessed November 18, 2016 .
  12. ↑ a b Parties at odds over Park's remark on N. Korean refugees. In: Yonhap . October 4, 2016, accessed November 27, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Kim Myong-song: Gov't to Increase Benefits for N.Korean Defectors. (No longer available online.) In: Chosun Ilbo . November 28, 2016, archived from the original on November 29, 2016 ; accessed on November 29, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / english.chosun.com
  14. ^ Evaluation for nationality. In: Hi Korea. October 16, 2008, accessed November 10, 2016 .
  15. ^ Andrei Lankow : North Korean Refugees in Northeast China . In: Asian Survey . tape 44 , no. 6 , 2004, p. 856-873 , JSTOR : 10.1525 / as.2004.44.6.856 .
  16. ^ Ser Myo-ja: Park encourages North's soldiers, citizens to defect. In: Korea JoongAng Daily . October 3, 2016, accessed November 27, 2016 .
  17. ^ Liberating North Koreans. Mass defections may be the key to regime change in Pyongyang. In: The Wall Street Journal . October 3, 2016, accessed November 27, 2016 .
  18. ↑ 북한 이탈 주민 입국 인원 현황. Ministry of Unification, accessed November 17, 2016 .
  19. ↑ a b c d e Shinui Kim: Why are the majority of North Korean defectors female? In: NK News. July 31, 2013, accessed March 23, 2015 .
  20. ↑ Fyodor Tertitskiy: The flaws and biases in North Korean studies. Regional overrepresentation, the language barrier and ignorance of sources holds back field. In: NK News. July 8, 2016, accessed November 25, 2016 .
  21. ↑ 글동무. In: Google Play . Retrieved October 11, 2016 .
  22. ^ JH Ahn: Bridging the app: South-North Korean translator launched. In: NK News. March 24, 2015, accessed March 24, 2015 .
  23. ↑ a b c d Pak Sunyoung: The growth status of North Korean refugee children and adolescents from 6 to 19 years of age . In: Economics & Human Biology . Vol. 8, No. 3 , 2010, p. 385-395 .
  24. ↑ Seul Ki Choi, Sang Min Park, Hyojee Joung: Still life with less: North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea show continued poor nutrition and physique . In: Nutrition Research and Practice . 2010, p. 136-141 ( online ).
  25. ↑ Michael Hänel: Refugees from North Korea. Anything but welcome. In: Deutschlandfunk . July 15, 2014, accessed November 23, 2016 .
  26. ↑ a b c d e f g Democratic People's Republic of Korea / Republic of Korea: Whether North Korean defectors to South Korea are issued government documents that indicate they are genuine defectors. In: UNHCR. Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, February 29, 2012, accessed November 25, 2016 .
  27. ↑ a b c Sung So-young: With more defectors on TV, stereotypes persist. In: Korea JoongAng Daily . December 6, 2015, accessed November 4, 2016 .