This New York Times article takes a sobering look into the life of an NK refugee. It is a story of a young female boxer who left DPRK as a young teenager along with her family and made it to South Korea only to face prejudice and other hardships.
“The photos, and the American hip-hop that blares from speakers, are constant reminders of how much Ms. Choi’s life has changed since her family arrived here four years ago. When she began her boxing career in North Korea, she trained daily under portraits of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-il.”
The boxer and family apparently were well off in North Korea, but the article tells of new realities of living in the South.
Ms. Choi’s father, who had been a successful businessman in the North, has been unable to find work, and the family has been reduced to living mainly on government handouts to the refugees.
“I sometimes miss my life in North Korea and wonder whether I made the right choice,” he said.
On one hand it is another example that while receiving and integrating refugees from the DPRK is the current reality, this situation is not, in the long run, sustainable nor desirable. The information that is seeping into DPRK needs to be balanced and refrain from painting a picture of the west and South Korea that is unrealistic.
But, on the other hand, the opportunity and hope that this young boxer does have, thrives because she now lives in a democracy where individual merit and ability are recognized and she can now freely decide for herself what is good and right for her.
This article in Asahi Shinbum is a fascinating glimpse into North Korean Defectors in China seeking asylum in Japan (or, other third-party countries).
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing and the consulate-general in Shenyang have been forced to take in dozens of defectors who have barged through gates and scaled walls seeking refuge.
The existence of the bento, prepared at a Japanese restaurant, is known to few aside from people working in the diplomatic facility. The food is for “guests” who, as far as the Japanese government is concerned, are not welcome.
The guests are defectors from North Korea who have sought refuge inside the compound.
According to the article, records show that more than 93,000 people went to North Korea between 1959 and 1984 under a repatriation program conducted by the Japanese and North Korean Red Cross societies. The figure includes 6,600 spouses and children of Japanese nationality.
Both Tokyo and Beijing have bitter memories of an ill-fated attempt by five North Korean defectors to seek refuge at the Shenyang Consulate-General in 2002, an incident which drew an international outcry.
Japanese officials watched impotently as Chinese security officials hauled the defectors from the gates of the compound and took them into custody, provoking criticism of not only the Chinese authorities but also the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Following the incident, Tokyo and Beijing appear to have agreed to “quietly handle” the repatriation of defectors to Japan and third countries and prevent incidents from catching the public eye.
Kim Mi Ja (pseudonym) is the first North Korean defector to be granted permanent U.S. residency under the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004. The details of this legislation can be found here (PDF) and on Wikipedia.
A reported 63 North Korean defectors are currently living in the U.S. Most of them have reportedly applied for permanent residency.
Some North Korean refugees living both in China and South Korea quietly prefer a U.S. residency over South Korea and have placed hopes in this legislature. However, as we reported before, those refugees who have already made it to South Korea, will find it difficult to seek residency elsewhere in the west.
“More than 4,500 people have been exposed as spies for the North since the peninsula was divided in 1948″, officials at the South Korean Defence Security Command said.
Whether warranted or not, there’s anxiety in South Korea of more possible North Korean spies in their midst. North Korean defectors already having a difficult time adjusting to life in the South have yet another headache to worry about as businesses, employers and friends become more cautious.
There are more than 14,000 North Koreans who have resettled in the South after the Korean War. Additionally, there are more than 2,500 North Korean refugees who have left for other host countries.
But, North Korean refugees that have already been granted legal residence in South Korea apparently are not allowed to seek asylum in other western countries.
As for the South Korean Military, they seem to be following up on 50 spy suspects and 170 leftist forces of their own. Times like this, you also have to beware of McCarthyism.