During this period. large numbers of North Koreans began crossing the border to China in search of refuge. At current count. the U.S. State Department estimates some 30.00050.000 North Korean refugees currently live in China. while some nongovernmental organizations put this figure as high as 300.000. Also according to the State Department. those North Koreans who are repatriated face harsh punishments. ranging from forced labor to execution. Despite Chinas obligations under international refugee law. China continues to view North Koreans resident in China as economic migrants rather than political refugees. and. on this basis. refuses to grant U.N. agencies. including the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR). access to these populations. Also because of its refusal to recognize North Koreans as refugees. China has argued that. under a bilateral 1986 repatriation agreement with North Korea. it must return all border crossers. While at times this bilateral agreement has. in practice. been ignored. The government of China is actively locating and deporting bordercrossers back to North Korea. The practice of returning North Koreans who have fled to China is particularly worrisome. because. under the North Korean judicial system. to leave the country without state permission is considered as an act of treason. North Koreans who flee to neighboring nations. including China. face a high risk of execution should they ever return.
Keywords matched
Refugee deporting refugees migrants refugee