According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Chinese government has forcibly returned approximately 60 North Korean refugees to their home country on April 26, 2024. This action puts these individuals at grave risk of enforced disappearance, torture, wrongful imprisonment, forced labor, and execution.
This latest round of forced repatriations occurred shortly after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Zhao Leji, China's third-highest official, on April 13, seeking stronger bilateral ties between the two nations. This meeting had raised concerns among North Korean exiles and human rights activists that China might accelerate the forced returns of North Koreans.
HRW's sources, including an underground missionary known as Stephen Kim, reported that the Chinese authorities had apprehended at least 92 North Koreans since January 2024. While it could not be confirmed if any of these 92 individuals were part of the group forcibly returned on April 26, it was considered highly unlikely.
HRW has separately verified that the Chinese government has forcibly returned more than 670 North Koreans since Pyongyang closed its northern border in early 2020. These incidents include the return of over 500 North Koreans on October 9, 2023, 40 others on September 18, 2023, 80 on August 29, 2023, and about 50 in July 2021.
Despite being a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, its 1967 Protocol, and the United Nations Convention against Torture, which obligates China not to forcibly return individuals at risk of persecution or torture, the Chinese government routinely labels North Koreans as illegal "economic migrants" and forcibly repatriates them under a 1986 bilateral border protocol.
North Korean authorities consider unauthorized departures from the country a serious crime. As anyone who returns to North Korea after fleeing is likely to face torture or mistreatment, HRW argues that all individuals who flee North Korea have a valid claim for refugee status in the country they reach and should have their claims heard.
HRW calls on governments worldwide, including South Korea, to urge for an end to all forced returns to North Korea. The organization also urges the Chinese government to provide asylum to North Koreans in China or safe passage to South Korea or another safe third country. Additionally, HRW advocates for the Chinese government to allow the UN Refugee Agency to exercise its mandate and provide access to all detained North Korean refugees.
