Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Number of North Korean defectors nearly triples in 2023
Ruled by the Kim family since its establishment in 1948, North Korea,
officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a
highly secretive and isolated country. The authoritarian regime has been led by
Supreme Leader Kin Jong-un since 2011. The government tightly controls
information and interaction coming in from abroad and among citizens. Also, economically,
North Korea has been struggling, and the majority of its population faces
poverty and limited access to basic necessities. There have been quite a few North
Koreans who successfully made political or economic defections to South Korea,
as many as over 1,000 in 2019. Most of those defectors crossed the border to
China and stayed there for months or years to find the chance to move to Laos
or Thailand where they would run into the South Korean embassy. Other defectors
were those who lived, worked, or studied abroad and chose not to return to
their homeland when they were supposed to. Last year, the number of such
defectors increased though not as many as pre-pandemic levels. Among those who
succeeded in defection, the number of high-profile defectors, such as diplomats
and officials increased. Is it worth taking a risk of defection instead of living
as an elite in North Korea? In the meantime, there are quite a few North
Koreans who have been caught in China deported back to North Korea. What their
fate might be?
Read the article and learn about North Korean defectors.
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