The Southern Route of North Korean Migrants: Dynamics and Problems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v47i1.780Keywords:
North Korean migrants, Southeast Asia, Mekong regionAbstract
Since the Cold war, Southeast Asia has been facing severe refugee problems from the Vietnam War, Laos and now Rohingya which become significant challenges for this region. Besides the refugee problems within the region, Southeast Asian countries especially those along the southern border of China – Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand - have been challenged by North Korean migrants since the end of Cold War. The North Korean migrants travel more than 1,000 kilometers from China to South Korea by using this region as a transit point. These countries, however, have different practices about refugees and definitions concerning refugee status. To define North Korean defector as a “refugee” leads to many questions about how to manage this problem, by using international law or depending on the relationship between those countries with North Korea.
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