[특집] 북한주민 탈북사태의 원인과 대책

The Cause and Countermeasure of The North Korean Refugees

Since the 1990's, North Korean refugees have been under great international interest due to their growing number. Also the escape movement is seen as closely related to the overall crisis that North Korea is currently facing. Some even compare it to that of the East Germans shortly before the downfall of the Berlin Wall. The escape of North Koreans should be observed with Korean Government's reunification policy. It is clearly not the simple matter of human rights. About 1,500 North Korean refugees are wandering in China and Russia. The Korean goverment sees that about 700 of them wish to move to South Korea. However, the exact number is unknown. The size has been suddenly increased during 1990~1993. The North Korean government has strengthened the boarder line watch since. The number has been decreased because the refugees were unsure about their safety. Currently, the annual number of refugees is not over some hundreds. The refugees are not active in anti-North Korean movement since it is impossible for them to act out in the opea The reform of Russia and China was in its height in the late 80' s and early 90' s. Naturally, it worked as an incentive to the massive escape. At the same time, as Korea expanded its diplomatical realtionship with China as well as Russia, Many North Koreans became aware of the South and they began to consider Korea as a place of refuge. North Korean economy has suffered a great deal in the 90' s. Ecomomic difficulty is the main fundamantal factor of the refuge. The growing number of refugees especially in the 3rd countries has begun to act as a great burden in North Korean foreign policies. Therefore, the government become coersive which resulted in the increase of the refugees. North Korea may turn to economical reform. However, with the current size of refugees, it is yet hardly a threat to the regime. The size as well as the character of North Korean escapees are quite different from that of East German. From 1949 to the early half of the 90' s about 5.2 million East Germans moved to the West. It was not difficult for East Germans to move out Some even moved out legally. The present North Korean refugees are risking their lives to cross the border. Korean Government's policy toward the refugees has always been impromtu. Or it has been just a talk without any principle. There has been a total of 80 submissions to the South since 1993 which takes up 10% of the overall number. Now is clearly the time for the government to come up with fundamental and comprehensive measures.