Explaining North Korean migration to China

Abstract

This essay introduces a set of primary documentation that help us understand the significance of ethnic identification for Koreans living in the northern part of the DPRK and China and, also, the pragmatic motivations underpinning Korean migration in and out of China from the 1950s onwards. The essay highlights the concern of Chinese governments that ethnic Korean migration to the DPRK was worrisome, not for the sake of the issue itself, but because the direction of flow out of China towards an ethnic ‘homeland’ might serve as encouragement to other ethnic minorities in China. The essay discusses Chinese government attempts to achieve a workable policy towards Korean border crossers in the context of their disposition to accommodate the concerns and imperatives of the North Korean government.