28.05.2008 - Source: Amnesty International

Approximately 50,000 North Koreans were reportedly hiding in China, living under constant fear of deportation ("Annual Report 2008") [ID 23549]

"Approximately 50,000 North Koreans were reportedly hiding in China, living under constant fear of deportation. Each month hundreds of North Koreans were believed to have been forcibly repatriated to North Korea without being given access to UNHCR offices in China. A majority of the North Koreans in China were women, many of whom had been trafficked into China and whose primary means of avoiding forcible return to North Korea was being sold into marriage to Chinese men. Children born to North Korean refugee women in China are effectively stateless and face difficulties gaining access to education and health care.
Kim Yong-ja, an undocumented North Korean woman, reportedly committed suicide in detention because she feared forcible return to North Korea. She was among 40 North Korean refugees arrested in December near Qinhuangdao, Hubei Province."

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28.05.2008 - Source: Amnesty International

Asylum-seekers charged with immigration offences continued to be detained pending the outcome of their asylum case ("Annual Report 2008") [ID 23552]

"Asylum-seekers charged with immigration offences continued to be detained pending the outcome of their asylum case. In May, a local NGO reported that many asylum-seekers held in immigration detention facilities had been stripped in front of other inmates, humiliated by immigration officers and denied adequate medical care.
Twenty-nine asylum-seekers held at Castle Peak immigration detention centre went on a three-day hunger strike in October to protest against their prolonged detention. Support groups said some had been detained for nearly a year, while the authorities claimed most had been there for about a month."

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11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Law does not provide for the granting of refugee or asylum status ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23364]

"Although the country is a signatory of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, the law does not provide for the granting of refugee or asylum status. The government largely cooperated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) when dealing with the resettlement of ethnic Han Chinese or ethnic minorities from Vietnam and Laos resident in the country. During the year the government and UNHCR continued ongoing discussions concerning the granting of citizenship to these residents. However, the government continued to deny the UNHCR permission to operate along its northeastern border with North Korea, arguing that North Koreans who crossed the border were illegal economic migrants, not refugees."

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11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government did not provide protection against refoulement ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23365]

"The government did not provide protection against refoulement, the return of refugees to a country where there is reason to believe they face persecution. During the year authorities continued to detain and forcibly return North Koreans to North Korea, where many faced persecution and some may have been executed upon their return. Some North Koreans were permitted to travel to third countries after they had entered diplomatic compounds or international schools in the country. There were numerous reports of harassment and detention of North Koreans in the country. The children of some North Korean asylum seekers and of mixed couples (i.e., one Chinese parent and one North Korean parent) reportedly did not have access to health care or education. The government also arrested and detained journalists, missionaries, and activists, including some citizens, who provided food, shelter, transportation, and other assistance to North Koreans. In February police reportedly arrested a foreign national who arranged for five North Korean asylum seekers to travel to South Korea. According to reports, activists or brokers helping North Koreans were charged with human smuggling, and the North Koreans were forcibly returned to North Korea. There were also reports that North Korean agents operated within the country to forcibly repatriate North Korean citizens."

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10.10.2007 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

China continued to fail in its obligations to the thousands of North Korean refugees who crossed its northeastern border to escape North Korea's chronic food shortages and political oppression ("Annual Report 2007") [ID 21411]

"In 2006-2007, China continued to fail in its obligations to  the thousands of North Korean refugees who crossed its  northeastern border to escape North Korea's chronic food  shortages and political oppression. While an accurate estimate  of the size of this underground population is probably not  possible, in recent years the U.S. State Department and several  NGOs have estimated that 20,000 to 50,000 North Koreans  currently are hiding in northeastern China. Chinese civilian,  law enforcement and military experts speaking in 2005-2006  typically cited an estimate of 30,000 to 50,000.1 An October  2006 report by the International Crisis Group surveyed the  opinions of many NGO experts and reached an estimate that the  total number of North Korean refugees residing on Chinese soil  is approximately 100,000.2 As noted by the State Department's  2007 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, these refugees, many  of whom are women, are unable to work legally in China. Thus,  many of them are highly vulnerable to being kidnapped by  traffickers"

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23.05.2007 - Source: Amnesty International

Approximately 100,000 North Koreans were reportedly hiding in China ("Annual Report 2007") [ID 20019]

"Approximately 100,000 North Koreans were reportedly hiding in China. The authorities arrested and deported an estimated 150-300 each week without ever referring cases to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. They also reportedly implemented a system of rewards for turning in North Koreans and heavy fines for supporting them. In September a new crackdown was reported on North Koreans residing illegally in China.

Abuse of North Korean women in China was widely reported, including cases of systematic rape and prostitution. North Korean women were reportedly sold as brides to Chinese men for between US$880 and US$1,890. Some women knew they were being sold into marriage but did not know how harsh conditions in China would be. Others were lured across the border by marriage brokers posing as merchants."

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Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Several thousand North Koreans were reportedly detained and forcibly returned to North Korea ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19149]

"During the year several thousand North Koreans were reportedly detained and forcibly returned to North Korea. Many faced persecution, and some may have been executed upon their return. Several hundred North Koreans were permitted to travel to third countries after they had entered diplomatic compounds or international schools in the country. There were numerous credible reports of harassment and detention of North Koreans in the country. The government also arrested and detained foreign journalists, missionaries, and activists, as well as some citizens, for providing food, shelter, transportation, and other assistance to North Koreans. The government continued to detain several foreigners in the Northeast, some on charges of alien smuggling, but most for helping North Koreans enter the country. Jilin Province's public security Web site reported that it had deported an estimated 2,000 "foreigners" in 2004, most of who were believed to be North Korean. According to NGOs, during the year North Korean agents operated within the country to forcibly repatriate North Korean citizens."

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20.09.2006 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

North Korean refugees ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 17397]

see report for further details - Chapter IX

"• The Chinese government forcibly repatriates North Korean refugees facing starvation and political and religious persecution in their homeland, contravening its obligations under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Chinese authorities detained and returned to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) thousands of North Koreans in 2005. The government classifies all North Koreans who enter China without documents as illegal economic migrants and claims it must return them to the DPRK, even though North Korean defectors meet the definition of refugees under international law. Repatriated North Koreans face long prison sentences, torture, and execution.

• Without legal status, North Korean refugees in China are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. There are an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 North Koreans currently hiding in northeastern China, and some NGOs estimate that the number of refugees is much higher. The government refuses the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to North Korean refugees, and fines and imprisons humanitarian workers who assist North Koreans in China. Officials in Beijing met with UNHCR Anto´nio Guterres in March 2006 during the first UNHCR visit to China since 1997. In July 2006, the Chinese government for the first time allowed three North Korean refugees to travel directly from the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang, Liaoning province, to the United States to seek asylum."

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23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

North Korean asylum-seekers ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 17363]

"People continued to flee across the border into China to escape the acute food shortages in North Korea. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of North Koreans were arrested and forcibly returned by the Chinese authorities who considered them to be economic migrants and denied them access to any refugee determination procedures, in breach of the UN Refugee Convention. Unconfirmed reports suggested that at least five South Korean nationals of North Korean origin were abducted in China and forcibly taken to North Korea."

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11.10.2005 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

North Korean Refugees in China ("Annual Report 2005") [#37506],  [ID 4278]

see report for further details - chapter VII.

"The Chinese government forcibly repatriates North Koreans seeking refuge in China from starvation and political persecution in North Korea, contravening its obligations under the 1951 Convention Related to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. A compelling case exists for recognizing North Koreans in China as refugees: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea government regularly denies food to particular groups for political reasons, and refugees returned to North Korea face long prison terms, torture, or execution.
The Chinese government classifies all North Koreans in China ‘‘illegal economic migrants’’ and denies the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees access to this vulnerable population. Living conditions for North Koreans in China are harsh, with women and children particularly vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution."

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11.10.2005 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

North Korean Refugees in China ("Annual Report 2005") [#37506],  [ID 4415]

see report for further details - chapter VII.

"The Chinese government forcibly repatriates North Koreans seeking refuge in China from starvation and political persecution in North Korea, contravening its obligations under the 1951 Convention Related to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. A compelling case exists for recognizing North Koreans in China as refugees: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea government regularly denies food to particular groups for political reasons, and refugees returned to North Korea face long prison terms, torture, or execution.
The Chinese government classifies all North Koreans in China ‘‘illegal economic migrants’’ and denies the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees access to this vulnerable population. Living conditions for North Koreans in China are harsh, with women and children particularly vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution."

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12.01.2005 - Source: Reporters Sans Frontières

Beijing: Chinese state security agents broke up a press conference called by South Korean parliamentarians over the plight of North Korean refugees; Around 40 journalists were brutally ejected from a hotel conference room, reportedly to prevend them to report on North Korean refugees in China ("Government brutally breaks up South Korean parliamentarians' press conference") [#28264],  [ID 4280]

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01.2005 - Source: WRITENET

Background report on situation of North Koreans in China; they are not recognised as refugees and forcibly returned ("Background Paper on the Situation of North Koreans in China") [#30088],  [ID 4279]

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01.2005 - Source: WRITENET

Background report on situation of North Koreans in China; they are not recognised as refugees and forcibly returned ("Background Paper on the Situation of North Koreans in China") [#30088],  [ID 4417]

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28.06.2004 - Source: BBC News

China has jailed a Japanese aid worker for trying to smuggle 2 North Korean refugees out of the country ("China jails Japanese aid worker") [#23663],  [ID 4281]

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10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

North Koreans ("Country Report - October 2003") [#49232],  [ID 4282]

"6.251. The UNHCR over the past three years have monitored the plight of North Korean refugees in China. Reports of mass deportation [18c] and crackdowns [18d][18g] have come to light. The UNHCR has been pressing for the matter to receive international attention [18h][18d]. Amnesty International (AI) produced a report in December 2000, outlining the background, case histories, and urging China / North Korea to abandon reciprocal agreements and recognise and adhere to the principle of non-refoulement (due process in Asylum). [6v][18i]

6.252. In terms of granting asylum to refugees from other states, the Chinese authorities faced a difficult situation in June 2001, when seven North Korean nationals asked for asylum in South Korea by entering the UNHCR office in Beijing. [9cj] The situation brought the plight of North Koreans in PRC to the fore. [9cj] Likewise, 25 North Koreans evaded the Chinese police to seek sanctuary in the Spanish Embassy in Beijing in March 2002. [9eh] They were permitted permission to proceed to the Philippines to claim protection. [9eh]

6.253. In May 2002, another mass break-in occurred, when 5 North Koreans rushed into the Japanese consulate in Shenyang, Liaoning province. [9et] To the indignation of the Japanese, the Chinese police broke with international law and chased after the North Koreans within the compound. [9et] The Chinese police agreed two days later to release all of the North Koreans apprehended in that incident. [9eu] By 12 September 2002, 36 North Koreans from various embassies were flown to Seoul, South Korea, to bring the refugee total to over 100 flown out so far in 2002. [9fd] Beijing is however very worried about the trend of people seeking sanctuary and has ringed many embassies with police guards and other deterrents. [9et]

6.254. In June 2003, the Chinese ambassador to the UN, Liu Jianchao signalled a change of policy. When he confirmed in discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Rudd Lubbers that it was not Beijing's policy to return North Korean asylum seekers to North Korean, unless they were criminals. The UNHCR welcomed this change and signalled its willingness to assist North Korean refugees within China in getting to their destination of choice. [13h.] In August 2003 Mr. Liu, in rebuffing criticism from the UN over the PRCs handling of North Koreans denied that there had been any change of policy. [13k.] That same month three South Koreans were arrested in Shanghai for assisting North Koreans to flee the country. [13j.]"

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22.01.2003 - Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

USCR: Forced return and detention of North Korean refugees ("USCR Condemns China’s Forced Return of North Korean Refugees") [#10777],  [ID 4284]

"[...]
In recent days, the Chinese government has arrested at least 58 North Korean refugees attempting to depart China by boat for South Korea and Japan. China reportedly forced ten of the refugees back into North Korea and continues to detain the other 48, along with a Chinese citizen and two South Koreans who were apparently trying to help the refugees escape. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has appealed for access to the North Koreans, but China usually denies the UN refugee agency such access. According to press reports, in recent months China may have forcibly repatriated thousands of refugees back to North Korea.
[...] As many as 200,000 to 300,000 North Koreans have been living underground in China, mostly in the border region. Some observers believe, however, that China's reported refoulement (forced return) of North Korean refugees in recent months may have sharply reduced that number
[...]"

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01.01.2003 - Source: Amnesty International

ai-Journal: Jagd auf Flüchtlinge (Autor Roland Brauckmann) ("ai-Journal: Jagd auf Flüchtlinge (Autor Roland Brauckmann)") [#10880],  [ID 4285]

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24.06.2002 - Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung

China lässt Botschaftsflüchtlinge ausreisen ("China lässt Botschaftsflüchtlinge ausreisen") [#7589],  [ID 4287]

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21.06.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Crackdown on North Koreans must end ("China: Crackdown on North Koreans must end") [#7520],  [ID 4288]

"Recent diplomatic incidents in embassies and consulates in China are an end result of the Chinese authorities' continuing crackdown on North Korean asylum seekers, Amnesty International said today. Since April, hundreds of North Koreans have been rounded up in northeast China and forcibly repatriated without being given access to a refugee determination procedure.

According to reports, in Jilin Province, up to 900 North Koreans were forcibly repatriated from Longjing in April and up to 500 others from Tumen in May. In Tumen, witnesses have reported seeing groups of North Koreans being taken back across the border in open trucks every two or three days. Those detained and forcibly returned are reported to include both orphan children and women married to Chinese nationals who had settled in northeast China for a long time, as well as recently arrived asylum seekers.
[...]
Over the past two months several dozen North Koreans have sought refuge in embassies and consulates in China, in desperate attempts to seek asylum in foreign countries. The Chinese government has issued a notice to all embassies and consulates in Beijing asking them to hand over any further North Korean "trespassers". A government spokesman stated on 13 June that the incidents were "a provocation of Chinese law".
[...]
Amnesty International has written to the Premier Zhu Rongji asking for protection of North Korean refugees and asylum seekers and an end to forced repatriations. The organization expressed concern about six individuals, including a two-and-a-half-year-old boy, who were detained at the end of May in South China and whose whereabouts is unknown."

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20.06.2002 - Source: World Organisation Against Torture

OMCT: Risk of refoulement for North Korean asylum-seeker who had sought refuge in the South Korean Consulate in Beijing ("China: Risk of refoulement for North Korean asylum-seeker who had sought refuge in the South Korean Consulate in Beijing [Case CHN 200602]") [#7536],  [ID 4289]

"the Chinese authorities have arbitrarily arrested a North Korean asylum-seeker, identified as being called Mr. Won, who had sought refuge in the South Korean Consulate, on June 13th, 2002, in Beijing, China.

According to the information received, Mr. Won was violently removed from the South Korean Consulate and arbitrarily arrested by the Chinese authorities on June 13th, 2002. The Chinese Police reportedly forcibly entered the consulate without permission and attacked the South Korean diplomats who attempted to protect Mr. Won, resulting in several injuries to South Korean Consulate staff. OMCT fears that Mr. Won may be sent back to North Korea, where he risks being subjected to a range of human rights violations. Mr. Won is reportedly 56 years old, and his 18-year old son is believed to have made it into the South Korean Consulate during these events, and is now seeking asylum in South Korea, along with a reported other 17 other North Korean persons currently inside the Consulate.

According to reports, 56-year old Mr. Won had previously attempted to enter China five times and had been refouled twice. It is thought likely that these numerous attempts to enter into China were made at the Tumen River, which marks the border between North Korea and China, and is narrow enough for people to swim across, or walk across when it is frozen in winter, making it the most common entry point for persons seeking to leave North Korea. Furthermore, border guards are reportedly easy to bribe here, leading to persons being able to attempt the crossing several times.

Our sources indicate that persons who are returned to North Korea from China are systematically subjected to intensive interrogation, including severe beatings, with those persons who have stayed abroad for lengthier periods of time usually being sent to labour camps, where there is a reportedly high incidence of ill-treatment, very poor living conditions and the use of torture. It is reported that some repeat offenders are even executed as a result of their attempting to cross the border. Despite this fact, it is reported that these desperate people will try to leave North Korea several times, as is the case with Mr. Won, in order to seek asylum in South Korea or a third country."

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14.06.2002 - Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung

Hundert Yuan für einen Nordkoreaner ("Hundert Yuan für einen Nordkoreaner") [#7577],  [ID 4290]

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17.08.2001 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

China repatriates North-Korean asylum seekers ("China repatriates North-Korean asylum seekers") [#3549],  [ID 4294]

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