North Korean Asylum Seekers

The International Crisis Group released a report on 26 October 2006 that it describes as one of "the first to look comprehensively at networks of North Korean asylum seekers and the policies of related countries." Included as Appendix C is an overview of international refugee law and its application to North Korean refugees.

Reliable information about North Korea is hard to come by. As one report notes, "the DPRK is a notoriously difficult subject to study. Aside from the fundamental shortage of data that can be independently verified, a significant proportion of the available literature and reports concerning the country are heavily influenced by a variety of biases, and/or are based on source material of questionable origin." (Mahr, 2002, p. 1)

Previous background reports have focused on China and the situation of North Koreans once they arrive there. See Refugees International, the U.S. Committee for Refugees, and WriteNet for examples and further references. More general studies on North Korean border-crossers and strategies for dealing with North Korean displacement are also available.

Titles of reports referenced:

1. Acts of Betrayal: The Challenge of Protecting North Koreans in China (Refugees International, May 2005) [text];
2. The Border-Crossing North Koreans: Current Situations and Future Prospects (Korea Institute for National Unification, May 2006) [text];
3. China: Background Paper on the Situation of North Koreans in China (WriteNet, Jan. 2005) [text];
4. "China," World Refugee Survey 2006 (USCRI, 2006) [text];
5. North Korea: Scenarios From The Perspective Of Refugee Displacement (Mahr, Feb. 2002) [text];
6. Perilous Journeys: The Plight of North Koreans in China and Beyond (ICG, Oct. 2006) [text].

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