Abstract:

China’s policy of returning North Koreans without a previous screening of their
particular cases goes against international agreements, such as the Refugee Convention
and Protocol. Multiple organizations have discussed this issue, quoting from legal docu-
ments as well as anonymized interviews. What this essay aims to do is present autobi-
ographical texts that deal with the same topic but from a personal point of view. The
conditions of North Koreans in China, relived in testimonial accounts, deserve special
attention because of their first-person account of victimization. This essay situates North
Korean women’s memoirs within the tradition of life writing for testimonial purposes,
aimed at raising awareness of the critical absence of human rights in the context of North
Korean refugees, and the ongoing atrocities committed against girls and women.

Download or read full article here.