The People’s Daily Perspective
on the North Korean Defectors Issue
A Summary
Aim
To find out the perspective of the People’s Daily (Organ Paper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China)’s position on the issue of North Korean defectors in China
Methodology
- By searching the People’s Daily website for reports using the key words “North Korean Defectors” , “Illegal Immigrants from North Korea” and “Border Crossers from North Korea”
- Two entries were found for “Border Crossers from North Korea”, 35 for “North Korean Refugees” since June 2002, and 38 for “Illegal Immigrants from North Korea”.
- However, only the first 15 (till November 2004) of the articles on “Illegal Immigrants from North Korea could be read because of a problem with the People’s Daily server.
Findings
- The People’s Daily, as a newspaper, actually did not make too much report on the North Korean defectors issue. There has been no editorial printed on the North Korean Defectors issue, and with the exception of one article, all articles related to the North Korean Defectors issue actually are direct quotes of the Foreign Ministry spokesman, often the reports are taken directly from the Foreign Ministry website.
- The only exception now found is a report on the increasing trend of North Korean refugees trying to seek refuge in foreign diplomatic missions in China. This article was published in Global Times, a subsidiary of the People’s Daily Group, in November 2003.
- Besides, another thing worth notice is that the articles in the People’s Daily have an apparent emphasis on the Defectors who tried to seek refuge in foreign diplomatic missions in China (e.g. South Korean embassy, German school) rather than those who are in northeastern China.
- The basic official line of the Chinese government in dealing with the North Korean Refugee Issue: (1) The Chinese Government refuses to recognize these North Koreans as refugees. The Chinese Government, in all articles, refuses to use the terms “refugees” but instead uses the term “Illegal Immigrants”. The Chinese government argues that these North Koreans came to China illegally and on economic reasons, and hence the articles in “Convention Relating to Status of Refugees” are not applicable to these people. (2) The Chinese government repeatedly stressed that the issues of “North Korean illegal immigrants” will be treated in accordance with “domestic law, international law and the humanitarian spirit”. (3) The Chinese government strongly objects the actions of North Koreans trying to seek refuge in foreign diplomatic missions in China. The Chinese government argues that such actions are illegal and would disrupt social order in China.
- Regarding the act of North Koreans in seeking refuge in foreign diplomatic facilities, the Chinese position is that such actions are organized by foreign organizations and individuals which act in the name of humanitarianism. The Chinese government also argues that these organizations actually had support from the national governments in USA, Europe and Japan. China also argues that the reasons leading to the sharp increase in North Koreans going to foreign diplomatic missions in China was due to (1) the North Korea Freedom Act passed by the US Congress in 2004, and (2) South Korea’s big-scale action in transferring hundreds of escapees from North Korea in 2004 from a third country (possibly Thailand).
- The Global Times article in 2004 actually reflected quite a skeptical position to the whole trend of escaping to North Korea. It described that the North Korean Defectors, after going to South Korea, was subject to “brain-washing”, discrimination and became the underprivileged class in South Korean society.
