The outcry follows recent reports that dozens of North Korean escapees—many of them women and children—have been returned to North Korea after being detained in China, where they had sought refuge. Human rights groups warn that these individuals face harsh punishment upon return, including imprisonment, torture, forced labor, or execution.
“Returning defectors to North Korea is a death sentence,” said Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “It violates international law and the basic principles of human dignity.”
China does not recognize North Korean escapees as refugees, instead labeling them as illegal economic migrants. This classification allows Chinese authorities to detain and deport them under bilateral agreements with Pyongyang, despite repeated international calls to halt these repatriations.
A recent statement by Human Rights Watch described the deportations as “a grave violation of non-refoulement,” a principle of international law that prohibits returning individuals to a country where they face serious harm.
New testimonies from defectors who have survived multiple repatriations describe horrific treatment. One woman, repatriated from China in 2022, said she was beaten, starved, and subjected to invasive strip searches in a North Korean detention center. “They treated us like animals,” she said. “They wanted to erase any trace of the outside world from us.”
Since North Korea views defection as an act of treason, even individuals who flee out of desperation—for food, medicine, or family reunification—are often branded enemies of the state. Pregnant women are reportedly forced to undergo abortions if the father is believed to be Chinese, in what some advocacy groups have described as “racially motivated abuse.”
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification expressed “deep regret and concern” over China’s actions and urged international solidarity to protect defectors. “They are not criminals,” the ministry said. “They are victims of a totalitarian regime.”
In recent weeks, the issue has gained renewed attention in Western capitals. U.S. lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation urging stronger protections for North Korean asylum seekers, while the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning forced repatriations and calling for increased diplomatic pressure on China.
Activists are also calling for safe passage programs, increased funding for underground escape networks, and resettlement guarantees from democratic countries.
“We cannot call ourselves a civilized international community while people are being sent back to torture and death,” said Suzanne Scholte, chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition. “Every defector matters. Every life matters.”
Despite the mounting global concern, the fate of many recent deportees remains unknown, raising urgent questions about their whereabouts and condition.
As governments deliberate and international bodies issue statements, many defectors and their families are still trapped in hiding—waiting, hoping, and fearing the knock that may come at any moment.