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

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.