| Summary: | 碩士 === 中央警察大學 === 國境警察學系碩士班 === 107 === Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy once said, “All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”. Perhaps the world’s most mysterious country, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), claims itself to be the happiest country in the world, portraying a positive image of communism. However, from birth North Korea’s people are brainwashed to be loyal to the country’s leadership. Moreover, a strict totalitarian hierarchy is implemented in North Korea, and people live their lives in a social atmosphere that encourages denunciation. Struggle sessions are held in which people publicly criticize and accuse one another. Some may even betray their closest friends or family for their personal interests. At all levels of society, North Korean people monitor one another. Consequently, they live in fear, and some choose to escape. Each North Korean defector has a sad tale to tell, and their lives are a reflection of the harsh reality of life in some parts of the world. Most North Korean defectors must endure a long and painful journey to escape. During this journey, shelter, food, and water are extremely limited, and defectors may need to leave at a moment’s notice depending on various circumstances. Many do not have proper documentation for leaving North Korea, such as visas, and thus they are unable to enter other countries legally. Consequently, North Korean defectors who are smuggled across borders without identification often face various problems and are at risk of being exploited due to their precarious position.
Moon Jae-in, who comes from a broken home, became the 19th President of South Korea by winning 41% of the vote in 2017. How Moon’s presidency will influence South Korea’s policy toward North Korea has become a topic of interest to countries around the world. The question of North Korean defectors has become increasingly internationalized, with issues of illegal emigration, immigration, and stay no longer mere questions of international law. Considering the tension on the Korean peninsula and the unique geopolitics of Northeast Asia, the question of how to handle North Korean defectors has become a security concern in Northeast Asia. After the Cold War, countries developed new ideas about security, creating the concept of global security to meet these new challenges. In 1994, the United Nations Development Programme published the Human Development Report. This report symbolized a new way of thinking and was a milestone that globalized security problems, thereby promoting the concept of human security.
This study examined the motivations for defection and immigration among North Korea defectors and conducted an analysis from a human security perspective. The aim was to highlight the obstacles and difficulties faced by North Korean defectors in the process of their defection, specifically in defecting without any documentation from a highly oppressive regime. The long-term lack of liberty and security for North Korean people has led to the problem of North Korean defectors, negatively affecting immigration security and human rights protections. This study draws attention to the threats to comprehensive security faced by North Korea’s people. These threats encourage North Korean people to leave their country and are a key factor for those choosing to defect. Additionally, this study sheds light on the immigration issues encountered by North Korean people in the defection process. These findings highlight the need for international society to act on this issue in the hope that one day the human rights situation in North Korea can be improved.
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