"North Korea - China friendship" by Roman Harak. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0). Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/roman-harak/5578914865/ BY: MOHIT MANNThe current Coronavirus outbreak in China is affecting people not only within but also beyond the borders of China. The issue’s impact is especially acute for North Korea, whereby the lockdown in China resulting from this outbreak complicates North Korean refugee journeys. A vast transportation lockdown, which is meant to contain the spread of this new virus, is responsible for exacerbating the already laborious journey of North Korean refugees. Chinese authorities have imposed an unprecedented lockdown to contain the viral outbreak, which has infected over 24,000 people and has claimed the lives of over 500 people worldwide. Public transportation links have been shut down, access has been restricted to major highways, and strict ID and temperature checks have been imposed. These actions have effectively placed tens of millions under quarantine. While the lockdown disrupts the daily lives of millions of people within China’s bounds, it is also simultaneously responsible for disrupting the main path through which North Koreans make their great escape. The route traditionally taken by North Korean defectors has been blocked due to obstacles such as road closures. As a result, these refugees are forced to indefinitely pause their journeys. They also face the threat of certain punishment if they are sent back home. China is a crucial link in the dangerous journey that North Koreans take in their endeavour to escape the draconian policies and measures of the tyrannical North Korean regime. These refugees make their way down through China and then find their way into Southeast Asian countries, such as Laos and Thailand, before they finally end up in South Korea. This journey can take months or longer to complete and is thousands of kilometers long. It also involves trekking over mountains by foot and using tiny boats to get across rivers. The part of the trip which pertains to China is especially risky, since North Korean refugees are forced to use fake ID cards. With China trying to control everyone’s movements, this trip has become even more dangerous. Tens of thousands of North Koreans are at various stages of their respective journeys through China. Some of them have decided to settle there illegally. However, as the lockdown expands to include house inspections, North Korean refugees may be in danger. North Korea’s most important international backer, China, refuses to grant these defectors refugee status and instead returns them to North Korea, where they could very likely be subject to torture or long prison sentences. An increased restriction of movement has additionally been felt inside North Korea itself as a result of the North Korea’s enhancement of restrictions to block the spread of the Coronavirus to its own territory. Staff of foreign embassies and international organizations in Pyongyang face increasing isolation from contact with North Koreans over fears of the spread of the virus. Moreover, North Korea has apparently temporarily stopped demanding that China repatriate defectors, since North Korea fears that these defectors may bring the deadly virus into North Korea. Thus, it is ultimately unclear what would happen to North Korean refugees who are discovered by Chinese authorities during their increasingly invasive inspections. Yet, there is room for optimism. People in this line of work are quite creative and have the potential to find backup routes –as they have done so before. North Korean defectors’ movements may be increasingly restricted as a result of the lockdown. But the North Korean regime has also stopped demanding repatriation of these defectors. Thus, while one avenue closes for the North Korean defectors, another avenue opens. What remains to be seen is how these defectors continue making their journeys and what type of help they will require as their respective journeys become especially dangerous and tricky. Source 1Source 2
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