copertina PEOPLE OF NO LAND
This is the journey of North Korean people.

Framing the topic

North Korea imposes very strict migration controls on the entries and exits of foreigners and of its citizens. Despite being a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights since 1981, North Korea does not uphold Article 12(2) of the law, which states:Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.

mappa per sitoBIGGER Trying to understand the North Korean situation is a complicated matter.Its geographical and cultural remoteness summed to the extremely tense political enviroment makes it almost impossible for everyone to keep an eye on every aspect of this dictatorship.The division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War made some North Koreans manage to flee from their homeland for political, ideological, economic or personal reasons. There is not a common term to identify these people. Generally they are considered migrants but referring to different associations and governative organizations they turn to be refugees and/or defectors. This naming difference makes it actually difficult to understand the North Korean migration as a whole phenomenon. The most common strategy of the refugees is to cross the border into northeast China before going to a third country. However China refuses to admit North Korean defectors as refugees and considers them illegal economic migrants.As you will proceed you will be introduced to different aspects: first of all, how many North Korean defectors managed to flee to other countries as refugees, then what happens when they arrive in South Korea and China. North Korea South Korea

The Incomplete Picture

A First look to North Korean migration

According to World Bank Data, in the last 50 years, migration flows from DPRK to different country have prompted, especially in the Asian Area. North Korean people have managed to flee to South Korea, China, as well as India, Europe and United States.

The rising of this phenomenon may be linked to life conditions in DPRK. However, lack of data referring to time distribution makes it difficult to frame the migration phenomenon clearly.

PASS THE MOUSE ON THE FLOWS TO HIGHLIGHT THE COUNTRY

bilateral-ok2 U.S.A. Korea, Rep. Germany China Brazil Other Argentina India Missing data. 1960 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2010 2020
SOURCE: WORLD BANK DATA

Another Missing Tile

Refugees situation according to UNHCR

The UN Refugee Agency provide a more specific report on refugees situation, from 1994 to 2016. Closing this temporal window (from 2000 to 2016) creates even more problems, as the countries (such as South Korea and China) which presented the highest rates of immigration from North Korea, refuse to give data. On the other hand UNHCR report highlight the increasing number of North Korean people that access to the Refugee Status.Difference in classification (refugees vs. defectors vs. migrants) gives a partial vision of this phenomenon, which does not allow an overlapping between World Bank Data and this dataset.

UNHCR-grafico(2)ok Luxembourg Norway Sweden Denmark Australia France United States of America Germany Thailand Kyrgyzstan Switzerland Israel Cambodia Uzbekistan Finland Yemen Spain Singapore Poland Mexico Kuwait New Zealand Costa Rica Chile Angola Ukraine Turkey Philippines Japan Egypt Hungary Austria South Korea China Ireland Canada United Kingdom Belgium Netherlands Russian Federation 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
SOURCE: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES

Two Side, Same Coin

From a general perspective the situation of people fleeing from North Korea it is not clear at all. Trying to identify those people, not just in terms of numbers, help in depicting the situation in a more specific and complete way. On one side there is South Korea, a country with a precise policy about North Korean immigration. Ministry of Unification register and publish data about migrants every year, taking into account demographical data as well. On the other side (both geographically and politically) there is China, a country with a strong and controversial point of view on migration from North Korea. NKDB White Paper on North Korean Human Rights recorded several cases of Human Rights violation on migrants and border-crossers.

A Female Issue

How migration is gender related

Part of the report of Ministry Of Unification focuses on defectors gender. Since 2000, it emerges that female migration is constantly increasing over the years.

Mou totale gender 8,891 male 21,914 female 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
SOURCE: MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION

From North to South

Geography of a migration

According to the Ministry of Unification the majority of people settling down in South Korea comes from North Hamgyong region, located in the north-east part of the country. Gyeonggi region together with the metropolitan area of Seoul are the most common destination for DPRK immigrants.

SELECT A REGION ON THE MAP TO SEE MIGRATIONS NUMBER

mappa per sito North Korea Number of people moving out from North Korea North Hamgyong Changan 207 18,665 2,677 428 444+72 580 811 1,021+139 4,473 168 6,980 1,139 1,346 709 8,577 1,066 1,045 533 622 282 1,026 720 600 611 533 South Hamgyong South Hwanghae North Hwanghae Kangwon South Pyongan North Pyongan Ryanggang Others Seoul North Chungcheong Gangwon South Chungcheong Gyeonggi South Gyeongsang North Gyeongsang North Jeolla South Jeolla Jeju Daegu Busan Gwangju Ulsan *numbers with + refer to metropolitan areas inside the province Daejon Number of people settling dow n in South Korea China South Korea military demarcation line, 1953

People of New Land

Who's migrating?

30 years old, with a secondary school education and unemployed: this is the portrait of the DPRK citizen that turn off the regime in order to cross the border with South Korea.

mouspecificULTIMO Academic background in the North Age Group Professional back ground in the North Unemployed Volunteer sector Workers Non target Military Professions Management Arts and sports Secondary school (Middleand highschool) University and higher education College Primary school Uneducated Preschool child Other Ages 0-9 Ages 50-59 Ages 60 and older Ages 10-19 Ages 20-29 Ages 30-39 Ages 40-49
SOURCE: MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION

China Policy

What's happening in China?

The White Paper on North Korean Human Rights -regularly published every year- by NKDB focuses on collecting data about human rights situation in North Korea. Its main goal is to raise awareness on this issue in order to set out the groundwork for social integration, prepare for transitional justice and eradicate the crimes against humanity. The database stores analyzed data and materials such as testimonies by North Korean defectors, literature from domestic and foreign sources, official court rulings and interrogation reports from North Korea and others.

CHINAPERSITO 17,588 Total number of cases of violations of the Right to Individual Dignity and Liberty in CHINA 14,211 3,347 Number of cases of violations of the Right to Individual Dignity and Liberty in CHINA Number of violations of the right to Individual dignity and liberty inside DETENTION FACILITIES IN CHINA 7,888 Number of violations of the right to individual dignity and liberty (sexual assault, illegal arrest, torture, physical violence, etc.) Number of violations of the right to movement and residence (forcedrepatriation) 6,143 Disappearance Forced Prostitution/ Human Trafficking Forced Abortion Forced Repatriation Forced Sterility House Search and House Arrest Illegal Arrest Others Illegal Detention Kidnapping/Capture/Abduction Psychological Assault and Harassment Sexual Violation Torture and Physical Violence
SOURCE: DATABASE CENTER FOR NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS