Chinese police are co-opting brokers who help North Korean defectors in China reach South Korea, taking control of defection routes and intensifying crackdowns. Growing distrust of brokers combined with fears of forced repatriation if caught has led North Korean defectors to abandon plans to reach South Korea.
A Daily NK source in China said recently that “it’s becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous for North Korean defectors living in China to reach South Korea” because “Chinese brokers who used to help move defectors have been co-opted by police and are now following their demands and instructions.”
According to the source, Chinese police are summoning and investigating Chinese brokers believed to be involved in helping North Korean defectors reach South Korea. Those summoned have mainly operated in Yanbian and Shenyang, Liaoning province, where they handled the handoff and transport of defectors along different segments of the route.
“In the past, brokers caught by police often went straight to prison, but the situation has changed,” the source said. “Police are co-opting brokers, allowing them to continue operating as usual, then demanding they cooperate in arresting defectors.”
This situation benefits the Chinese brokers. “From the brokers’ perspective, they get paid by the defectors and cooperate with police, so they don’t have to worry about being arrested,” the source noted. “In the end, it’s only making it harder for defectors to reach South Korea.”
Police are using these brokers to identify key defector routes and, based on this intelligence, are identifying escape routes and conducting operations to arrest North Koreans attempting to reach South Korea. The source said that most defection routes established after the outbreak of COVID have been exposed, leading to significantly intensified crackdowns and cases of defectors being arrested.
“The fate of North Korean defectors essentially depends on the brokers helping them move, and with these brokers actively cooperating with police, trying to reach South Korea now is no different from walking into a tiger’s den,” the source said.
Rumors of repatriation fuel fear
Particularly amid the recent thaw in North Korea-China relations, rumors are spreading that those caught by police face a much higher likelihood of forced repatriation than before. Some defectors, unable to overcome their fear, are turning back and abandoning their plans to reach South Korea midway through their journey.
“Trust in Chinese brokers has collapsed, and with intensified crackdowns everywhere, defectors who set out for South Korea are giving up halfway and turning back,” the source said. “Right now it’s too dangerous, so they’re saying they’ll wait and watch for a better time.”
Meanwhile, concerns are circulating among North Korean defectors in China that “defection routes could be completely blocked before long.” Some are even showing signs of resignation, saying “it would be better to return home and turn ourselves in than to be arrested trying to reach South Korea and forcibly repatriated.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: dailynk.com
