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23 Countries Have Accepted North Korean Refugees

Stumbed upon (lower case) this fascinating UNHCR chart of countries that have accepted refugees from North Korea.  23 countries have accepted at least one refugee — definitely an international problem.  Original article here at RFA (Korean).

First of all, as of the end of 2008, Germany has granted refugee status to 1390 North Korean refugees.  I had NO idea so many have been accepted in any single country outside of South Korea.  The article says over 2000 have been accepted in other countries through 2008. In other words, over 10% of all North Koreans granted refugee status have received it outside of South Korea.  (I can’t find the precise number who’d settled in South Korea as of the end of 2008, but a rough estimate would be 14,000-16,000.)

If you take a closer look at the table above, there are all kinds of interesting things that stick out.  For example, before the NKHR Act was passed in the US, a handful of refugees had already been accepted.  And several of the countries on the list are not exactly rights-respecting countries, which makes one wonder the particulars of these cases.

Should anyone be able to find the original UNHCR chart on their website — hopefully with a related report or explanation — please leave a comment.

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6 Responses

  1. Not to try to put a damper on things, but there are other qualitative factors that may be needed to complete a full analysis. For example, the fact that a substantial number of North Koreans have received refugee status/asylum in one country and have picked up and moved to other countries asking for asylum as well. I have heard anecdotally that this has been an issue in countries such as Germany, the UK (and the EU in general), the US, and Canada. More than three sources have told me that some of these countries have resorted to finger printing North Koreans to resolve whether this is the case.

    One has to wonder what the reasons were for these North Koreans to move on and why they did not stay in the “first countries” – and whether settlement structures in these countries (especially South Korea) are sufficient enough to deal with the rather particular case of North Korean refugees.

  2. Those are good points, Jack. I had heard of North Koreans who’d settled in SK but decided it wasn’t for them who’d gone to England — basically omitting to authorities the whole SK part of their history when arriving there.

    Probably impossible to come by, but it would be interesting to see stats on who’s going where from where, and which countries’ systems are the best at helping them adjust, etc. Wherever they go, adjusting is going to be very tough. While Hanawon and other programs in SK may not be thorough enough, are there more comprehensive programs in other countries? Especially ones aimed at/specifically designed for North Koreans? That would be hard to believe.

    Here’s a bit more in Korean about post-Hanawon support, btw. I came across this last night while trying to find the number of refugees settled in SK through 2008.

  3. I am impressed by this, and encouraged, especially since in the middle of this past decade we were getting reports of zero refugees ever taken in by most of these places. I wonder what accounts for the change in the reports, but at the same time I am happy that other countries besides just South Korea are willing and able to take them in.

    I would love to see communities set up in the US, like in Minnesota or Wisconsin where there are strong family values, an appreciation of religious pluralism, and a tradition of lending a helping hand to others from different cultures.

    Maybe by the middle of this coming decade we can see a Little Pyongyang in Rochester, Albert Lea, or Winona.

  4. I just hope any NK’s making it to the USA don’t end up settling in Orange County or LA’s Koreatowns. I want them to grow up with some values and not learn the bad habits of these area. I know that paints with a broad brush, but many Koreans in both those communities will tell you that they’re messed up communities and will not set a good example for newly arrived NK’s looking to find a new life and new meaning on this earth. JMHO.

  6. Perhaps LiNK could turn their attention to Berlin or London? Even discounting the refugee status-cheats (and yes, it is all true, I know of at least one), there is clearly a lot more political will in Europe on this one.