Juliana Acosta

12/3/15
ENC1101/ Massey

Introduction:
North Korea, officially named the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, is a country in East
Asia, in the northern part of the Korean peninsula, and borders South Korea and China. In practice, North
Korea is a single-party state under a totalitarian family dictatorship with Kim Il-sung and his family as its
absolute leaders. Citizens of North Korea may be sent to concentration camps for crimes such as,
possession of foreign movies, being cast out as a traitor to the regime, not respecting paintings or pictures
of the supreme ruler and his heirs, or for simply speaking out against the regime. Once a citizen of the
state is sentenced to a concentration camp, three generations of their family will be sent as well. Some are
born within the camps and that is all they know of. The country is under devastating poverty with the
capital of the city, Pyongyang, where government officials and wealthy party members live being the only
one seen in documentaries by people around the world. Over thousands of refugees try to escape this
oppressive regime and cross the border to China, many do not make it or if they do are treated
inhumanely at the hands of the Chinese as they do not recognize them as refugees or repatriate them back
to North Korea where they will face certain death. Only some are lucky enough to survive the whole
ordeal and meet good people and find themselves in South Korea.
A. Paragraph 2: Current status of North Koreans and their testimonies of treatment they have
endured under the Chinese government.
1. While the Chinese government allows thousands or tens of thousands of North Koreans to
hide in their country, the North Koreans have no rights and can be deported at any time. Over
the past few decades, China has forcibly returned tens of thousands of North
Koreans.(Cohen, 43)
2. China has no refugee adjudication process and UNHCR has been denied access by China to
North Koreans at the border.(Cohen,43)
B. Paragraph 3: Laws and processes being done to assist North Korean escapees in China.
1. Since 2004, UNHCR has deemed North Koreans in China without permission to be persons
of concern, meriting humanitarian protection. It has proposed to China special humanitarian
status for North Koreans, which would enable them, to obtain temporary documentation,
access to service, and protection from forced return.(Cohen,44)
2. The Committee against Torture, the expert body monitoring implementation of the torture
convention, has called on China to establish a screening process and allow UNHCR
access.(Cohen,44)
C. Paragraph 4: The solutions that should be implanted to help battle the issue.
1. North Korean escapees should be given prima facie refugee status since they meet article 1
A (2) of the Convention under a group determination approach.(Kim, 23)
2. Entire groups have been under circumstances indicating that members of the group could be
considered individually as refugees. (Kim,22)
D. Paragraph 5: there should be more awareness about this issue and activists to help the refugees.

1. A policy that linked the U.S. interest in human rights with its interest in security issues could
be a step in the right direction. The last century has shown that human rights correlate to
peace and stability.(Lefkowittz,42)
2. In one notable example, after a signinficant lapse in the talks, the North Koreans suddenly
announce that they were willing to resume discussions only four days after President Bush
met in June of 2005 with Kang Chol-hwan, the most prominent North Korean defecter and
human-rights activist at the time.(Lefkowitz,42)
E. Paragraph 6: Since the issue concerns human rights and the treatment of North Korean defectors
greatly demolishes human rights this should be a problem that needs to be looked into and cared
for.
1. Between 1994 and 1998, the regime was responsible for starving to death 2 to 3.5 million
people, or about 10 to 15 percent of North Koreas populationeven though the international
community provided billions of dollars in food aid during a famine. The regime simply
diverted the money to its military or sold it on the black market for hard
currency.(Lefkowitz,41)
2. Once, when Shin was working in a garment factory in the camp, he accidently dropped a
sewing machine. His punishment for taking the machine out of service was to have his
middle finger hacked off by the foreman.(Lefkowitz,41)
Conclusion:
Today, there are activists groups like LINK helping the North Korean refugees from their
situation and transporting the defectors to South Korea or the United States. Other simply good
Samaritans help house, feed, and clothe the refugees as they continue on their journey for freedom from
the crushing regime in North Korea. Over 20,000 North Koreans escape each year, some make it and lead
lives in South Korea but knowing that their family has been punished for their crime is a haunting factor
that dawns on them every day. Aid is given as well as support in uniting families separated by a border.
Hopefully, attention and care will be given to the North Korean escapees as well as the citizens under the
regime at the moment. Laws are in the process of being implemented in China to support the North
Koreans currently hiding there. Peace, stability, and love should be especially used to combat the
increasing violations of human rights.