Ungrateful Refugees: North Korean Refugees in South Korea

IF 0.3 0 ASIAN STUDIES
Hyosun Lee
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract:

Despite South Korea's support for their transition, North Korean defectors in South Korea suffer from social isolation and financial difficulties. Moreover, they cannot speak about their problems for fear of being blamed as "ungrateful." This paper will problematize their human rights issues in the South by discussing two documentary films: Mrs. B., a North Korean Woman (2016) and Shadow Flowers (2019). Both films are about North Korean refugee women who have obtained South Korean citizenship but are unhappy and want to return home. Watched and controlled by the authorities, their right to freedom of mobility takes the back seat for concerns over national security. They are also supposed to stay silent to avoid being labeled as ungrateful refugees and targeted by far-right extremists and anti-communists. Considering Mrs. B. and Ryun-hee's cases, the paper will show how their harsh reality is stuck in the unhappy resettlement in the South. By adopting a critical refugee studies approach, the paper will identify their ungrateful character, being in line with its depiction of the grateful refugee as a constructed character. Thus, it will explore how South Korean society can accommodate the different voices of those ungrateful North Korean defectors without dismissing or demonizing them.

忘恩负义的难民在韩国的朝鲜难民
摘要:尽管韩国支持他们的过渡,但在韩国的朝鲜脱北者却遭受着社会孤立和经济困难。此外,他们因害怕被指责为 "忘恩负义 "而无法说出自己的问题。本文将通过讨论两部纪录片来探讨他们在韩国的人权问题:朝鲜妇女 B 夫人》(2016 年)和《影子花》(2019 年)。这两部电影都讲述了已获得韩国公民身份的朝鲜难民妇女不甘寂寞、想要返回家园的故事。在当局的监视和控制下,出于对国家安全的担忧,她们的行动自由权被置于次要地位。她们还应该保持沉默,以免被贴上忘恩负义的难民标签,成为极右极端分子和反共分子的攻击目标。考虑到 B 夫人和 Ryun-hee 的情况,本文将说明他们的严酷现实是如何被困在南方不愉快的重新安置中的。通过采用批判性难民研究的方法,本文将确定他们忘恩负义的性格,这与本文将心存感激的难民描述为建构的人物形象是一致的。因此,本文将探讨韩国社会如何在不否定或妖魔化这些忘恩负义的脱北者的同时,接纳他们的不同声音。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Korean Studies
Korean Studies ASIAN STUDIES-
CiteScore
0.50
自引率
0.00%
发文量
16
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