Page 107 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

The Hardships of Escapees

More North Korean refugees live in China than anywhere
else. Estimates place the number at over 200,000. The Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) hunts them down and sends them
back to North Korea.

A smattering of North Korean refugees reside in Southeast
Asia and Mongolia. A surprising number have made their way
to Great Britain while the number of refugees in the United
States total perhaps just several hundred. In South Korea,
there are around 30,000+. As one might well imagine, the high
level of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the small
amount of marketable skills, linguistic and cultural barriers,
and other such issues follow North Korean refugees into their
new countries.

Approximately three-quarters of the refugees are women. A
shocking statistic is that some 70-90% of these refugees fall
prey to sex traffickers. Inside North Korea, rape is not really
considered a crime, and domestic violence is common. Thus,
impunity for these crimes reigns. In both China and North
Korea, the murder of these women typically does not meet
prosecution.

Kim Jong-Un has made it harder than ever to escape North
Korea. He ordered border guards to shoot to kill on sight,
even children, and increased the number of border guards
to achieve this. He shut down the border during COVID,
claiming no COVID existed in North Korea, even as he
extended his hands asking for COVID-related aid.

106 Section II : Human Rights, Abductees, Forced Repatriation of Refugees and the Regional Implications