NORTH KOREA

This issue focuses on the plight of North Korean refugees

in China, Russia and Mongolia

8 June 2001

The last worst place on Earth:

human rights abuses in North Korea

Refugees

By Jack Rendler

NKHR, No. 18/ HRWF International Secretariat (08.06.2001) C Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Article 47 of the Criminal Code of North Korea states: "A citizen of the Republic who defects to a foreign country or to the enemy in betrayal of the country and the people. shall be committed to a reform institution for not less than seven years. In cases where the person commits an extremely grave offense, he or she shall be given the death penalty."

The vast majority of North Korean refugees are located in the Northeast provinces of the People's Republic of China; several thousand are in the Russian Federation. Estimates of the total refugee population in the PRC vary wildly, from the 10,000 reported by the Chinese government to the 300,000 estimated by local NGO's. The most rigorous field surveys suggest a number between 140,000 and 150,000. The border between North Korea and China stretches 850 miles, and offers many opportunities for a safe crossing; most crossings happen on winter nights over frozen rivers. Most refugees cross the Tumen River; some cross the Yalu River or through the forests around the Changbai mountains. People usually travel in small groups of two to five; some cross by paying commercial carriers or by bribing North Korean border guards.

Most refugees seek protection and housing from the Korean-Chinese communities in the Yanbian Korean-Chinese autonomous district. Others (slightly less than half of the total refugee population) live in the three Northeast states of Liaoning-sheng, Jilin-sheng, and Heilongjiang-sheng. Some may find shelter and assistance with relatives or acquaintances, and ethnic Koreans unknown to them often provide food, medicine, and small sums of money in return for household chores. Many of these people go on to perform work arranged by these hosts. The vast majority of refugees in China (perhaps 95 percent) left North Korea in search of food and are unwilling to return until the food supply and distribution improves. While North Koreans may be driven to China by hunger, the government of the DPRK regards them as traitors for leaving; their return means certain persecution.

Recently, Chinese police have markedly increased expulsions of North Koreans; in April 2000, over 5000 North Koreans were forcibly returned. In January, 2000, UNHCR granted refugee status to seven North Koreans, but China sent them back. The PRC does not permit the UN or other international groups to investigate conditions on the border, although China is party to treaties that should permit such investigation. North Korean refugees arrested in China are sent first to a Chinese detention camp or prison where they remain for a week to a month. In April, 2000, about 100 such prisoners in a detention center in Tumen rioted and held guards hostage to protest China's program of forced repatriation.

Refugees are returned to North Korea where they are interrogated at an intelligence agency office at the border. They are then sent to a detention camp near the border, and from there to another detention center in or near their hometown. An intelligence agency office in the region of their hometown determines punishment. They are then sent to one of four places: home, labor camps, prisons, or camps for political offenders. Women, children, and the elderly are usually 're-educated' in their home areas through three to seven days of violent language and beatings. Young people over sixteen are most often sent to labor education camps. Those accused of smuggling or trafficking receive prison terms ranging from one to fifteen years. Those accused of meeting South Koreans are sent to camps for political offenders. All detention and imprisonment is accompanied by wretched conditions, beatings, ill-treatment and torture.

There are approximately 6,000 North Korean refugees in camps in Russia. They come largely from logging sites run by the DPRK in the Khabarovsk and Amur regions of the Russian Far East. Most were sent to work legally, but left the sites with the intention of not returning to North Korea. Some made their way illegally into Russia directly or from China. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, loosened controls resulted in higher numbers of North Korean workers leaving their sites for other parts of Russia.

At the larger sites there appear to be two prisons, one for criminals and one for political offenders. Political infractions include criticizing North Korea, and challenging camp authorities. Food is inadequate; discipline is severe and includes such ill-treatment as shackles and leg weights.

Russia is pursuing a policy of tolerating North Korean refugees without granting them refugee status or living permits. Refugees must still fear being arrested as illegal aliens by Russian law enforcement, as well as apprehension by the North Korean Public Security Service. North Korean agents also pursue people who have helped the refugees. North Korean security forces, sometimes on the territory of the Russian Federation have executed apprehended refugees. The prospect of being returned to North Korea has led some refugees to desperate acts such as perpetrating crimes in order to be sentenced to Russian prisons and committing suicide.

Mongolian government out to block out North Korean defectors

Joongang Ilbo (23.05.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (08.06.2001) C Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - With more and more North Korean defectors making their secret trails to Mongolia through the Chinese border, the Mongolian government went out to set seek measures to prevent further unwelcome entry. Recently it has lately requested the Chinese government for alternatives to prevent the further defectors from crossing the boundary, reported the Japanese Kyodo News on Tuesday, May 22.

"Over 100 North Korean defectors have secretly reached Mongolia last year alone and nearly 60 defectors by this May." said the high state official of Mongolian government. "Our government will no longer tolerate with such illegal acts."

The Kyodo News added that the Mongolian government has already banned the entry of one Korean-American suspected for helping out North Korean defectors.

Mongolia tolerant no more to North Korean refugees

By Alexyss Kim

NKHR (06.06.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (08.06.2001) C Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - For desperate North Koreans in search of a stable asylum, Mongolia has been an optional route they could take to reach that safety. By no means has it been an easy and comfortable stroll on the red carpet. Harsh weather and uncultured geography of Mongolia posed as life-threatening obstacles to refugees lacking the resources and knowledge to sustain themselves in a strange land for an indeterminable period. An outcome more daunting than Natures obstruction was capture by Mongolian border guards who may kick them out, or in other words back to China. Nevertheless, Mongolia has attracted quite a few North Korean refugees and humanitarian aid workers trying to save them.

The main reason for this attraction was Mongolias official policy on North Korean refugee problem. Unlike the neighboring China, Mongolia was relatively tolerant of North Koreans seeking asylum in accordance with the international refugee laws. At the time a US-based NGO had received an encouraging letter from a Mongolian diplomat, who confirmed: "there has not been, until now, any incident/s of forceful expelling of North Korean refugees found in Mongolia." He had further added: "I can assure you that Mongolia as a respected member of U.N., would gladly cooperate with UNHCR and other international community, and their respective endeavors." The only impediment for Mongolia to embracing more North Korean refugees, confessed the diplomat, was an economy too weak to support "a large influx of refugees."

That policy seems to have drastically shifted according to an article in Joong Ang Ilbo dated May 23 (see above Mongolian government out to block out North Korean defectors). In reference to unauthorized entry of North Koreans into Mongolian territory, a Mongolian official firmly stated: "Our government will no longer tolerate with such illegal acts," and the strength of his words was demonstrated in the official request from Mongolia to China for measures to stop the trail of North Korean refugees entering Mongolia via China.

This move made by Mongolian authorities is a proof that the North Korea C China C Mongolia refugee trail continues and to a degree that aggravates the Mongolian government. This move is also proof of how fragile North Korean refugees and refugees in general are to political interests and maneuvers of states.

As conscious citizens of the world we encourage the Mongolian government to return to its old policy of adherence to international laws concerning refugees. It is the least a responsible member of the international community should do for people who really have no other choice.

Interview with Tim Peters

Excerpts

The Chosun Journal (19.05.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (08.06.2001) C Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - What are the North Korean refugees greatest needs these days and how is Ton-a-Month Club helping?

From personal obesrvation on multiple trips to areas in which refugees are staying, their greatest need, beyond simple necessities from day-to-day basis, is recognition by the international community of the utter lack of protection of their human rights. They strike me as exceptionally vulnerable to the whims of powers that are entirely beyond their control and that have shown absolutely zero interest in their welfare and that of their children. The level of dread and even terror they feel at being seized at any given moment and sent back to a very hostile and even life-threatening environment is a situation that causes me to lose a lot of sleep sometimes.

Our donations go to purchase the most basic necessities of the refugees: food, clothing, simple medical supplies, shelter, and emergency travel funds for them. We also continue to send food shipments into North Korea whenever we can find acceptable monitoring of our aid shipments.