Living Dangerously in Two World: The Risks and Tactics of North Korean Refugee Children in China

Abstract

The Great Famine in North Korea, which began in 1995, has driven many people to cross the Sino-Korean border. The total number of refugees in China is estimated to be between 140,000 and 200,000, of whom about 5% were children under 20 years old. This paper examines the structural causes of the continuous influx of the North Korean refugee children into China from a comparative perspective. Many of the wandering children become habitual border-crossers in order to feed their families and to save themselves from a forced return. They develop transnational strategies and tactics to cope with the sharp contrasts in material conditions and cultural practices between the two countries. The childhood under such marginal conditions leaves them at serious risk, and many of them bear deep psychological scars as a result. However, by becoming independent at a young age, they function as active agents for social change with a critical awareness evolved from contrasting experiences in the two countries.