North Korean Migrants in China : Whether Illegal Migrants, Refugees, or Human Trafficking Victims

This follows the journey of North Koreans who escaped from North Korea and traveled to China and eventually to South Korea. Hyoungah Park interviews fifty-eight North Korean migrants in China and analyzes their stories, exploring why they decided to escape North Korea despite the risks, how they escaped, and their experiences being victimized by human trafficking. Many of these migrants were deceived, forced, and coerced by traffickers—they were sold as brides to unknown males in China, had to work in brothels and video chat rooms, and had to endure labor exploitation. Fear of being deported, language barriers, geographic unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge made these individuals vulnerable to human trafficking. By parsing through contributing factors to these victimizations, Park is able to present policy implications to prevent future human trafficking.