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North Korean Migrants in China: A Case Study of Human Smuggling and Trafficking

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Abstract

This study explores the smuggling and trafficking of North Korean migrants in China (NKMC), focusing on their migration motives, victimization types, and contributing factors, alongside suggestions for prevention and mitigation strategies. Although the sample size is modest and non-random (N=58), the insights gathered offer a poignant glimpse into the lived experiences of this specific subgroup of migrants who navigated from North Korea to China and subsequently to South Korea. Interviews were conducted with former NKMC residing in South Korea. Participants were recruited through purposive snowball sampling. The primary reasons for leaving North Korea were economic hardships (70.7%) and survival (12.1%). In China, more than 72% of female migrants were sold into marriage, while 21% were coerced into the sex trade. Contributing factors to victimization included economic hardship, a shortage of marriageable women, illegal status, and fear of deportation. Additionally, language barriers, geographical unfamiliarity, and stringent information control policies exacerbated the vulnerability of NKMC to exploitation. Addressing it as a criminal justice issue may be more effective than a human rights approach.

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Notes

  1. North Korean males are required to undergo a mandatory 10-year military service, a policy that significantly reduces the pool of eligible bachelors within the civilian population.

  2. The high demand for brides in China stems from the historical one-child policy and the prevalent culture of son preference (Kim et al., 2009).

  3. We used fake names to protect interviewees’ identities and let them choose the comfortable interview places where they felt comfortable. The first author noted that they could stop the interview whenever they wanted to stop without any disadvantages.

  4. Traveling between provinces is restricted in North Korea, and the majority of study participants originated from North Hamgyong Province, which is in close proximity to the border.

  5. Pseudonyms were used for all participants in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Criminal Justice Department, Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

    Hyoungah Park

  2. Criminal Justice Program, Mercy College, New York, USA

    Jeong Lim Kim & Illya Lichtenberg

  3. National Cyber Security Studies, Pearson College, Pyeong Taek University, Pyeong Taek, Republic of Korea

    Tae Jin Chung

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  1. Hyoungah Park
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  2. Jeong Lim Kim
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Park, H., Kim, J.L., Lichtenberg, I. et al. North Korean Migrants in China: A Case Study of Human Smuggling and Trafficking. Asian J Criminol 19, 307–328 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-024-09423-3

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