any of the good groups that you mention in your main article (see page 14). Adult North Korean refugees, despite tragic conditions, can manage to survive the situation in China. A woman, for example, even when she is trafficked, can live as a housewife in the household that bought her. Men, even when their labor is extorted, can still eat better in China than back home. But children and old people do not have this ability. Because they cannot survive in China on their own, they are in the most miserable condition and have no future. They should be brought to South Korea or the US, but brokers are expensive, so Courageous North Korean defector Jinhye Jo we need money to rescue them. I also want you to be aware of the living conditions for orphans urges Christians to welcome refugees and speak inside North Korea. I myself was once imprisoned in a “shelter” for out against an evil regime. children. These shelters are like prisons, with horrible buildings and Jinhye Jo escaped North Korea into China three times–and was scarce food and fuel. The regime confines the children because it does repatriated each time–over an eight-year period. She made her not want these vagabonds seen on the street where they will ruin the fourth and final escape, along with social order of their “paradise.” Many of the her mother and sister, in 2006. Two children starve to death or die during escape months later, she came under the attempts. According to a source in North Korea, protection of the UNHCR. She 78,000 children are confined in “shelters” in arrived in the US as a refugee in Chungjin, Moosan, Hoeryung, Hyesan. These 2008 and has since become a comare all northern provinces, which are relatively pelling witness to the oppressive better off due to the trade with China; inland regime of Kim Jong-il, participating children might be suffering more. What we can in a hunger strike in front of the do is buy orphans on the North Korean street Chinese embassy, speaking at unithrough brokers for 300-500 won (about versities such as Harvard and US$0.33-US$0.55) per person. We need to Georgetown, and testifying before do this on a large scale. You might think it is Congress. human trafficking, but from my point of view, having experienced it, coming to China is much PRISM: What can US Christians do better than starving to death in the prison-like to support the people of North Korea? shelters, even when it looks like human trafficking to outsiders’ eyes. Jinhye Jo: They can start by helping North Korean refugees in various PRISM: What foreign policy actions would you ways. The most urgent need is money. like to see the US undertake in relation to North Korea? North Koreans wandering in China can be divided into three groups: those who want to settle in China permanently, those who JJ: I would like to see the US accept North Korean refugees on as are looking to acquire medicine and money in China but want to go large a scale as it accepts refugees from other countries. North Korean back to North Korea, and those who seek permanent resettlement refugees work very hard and assimilate fast. It takes only two to three in a third country like South Korea or the US. Korean-Chinese defec- years, especially for young people. tors used to help North Korean refugees with food, clothes, medicine, I believe human rights advocacy programs have a direct and sigand even money, but not anymore. Now they drive out refugees or nificant impact on refugees’ lives. In 1994, in the early stage of the actively look for them and report them to police in exchange for refugee problem, North Korean policemen treated arrested refugees, financial reward (about 2000 RMB or US$300) or to avoid punish- called “betrayers,” cruelly. They made holes in the refugees’ nostril and ment themselves. So now refugees inside China are in even more peril thumbs and put strings through them. They also cut the tendons of than before. For these people, help with food and clothing, which the ankles so that the refugees couldn’t reattempt escape. When this was a big help in the past, is not nearly as important as financial help was made known to the Chinese, Falun Gong people protested, and to reach safety, because of the evermore strict inspection by the the Chinese government responded with warnings to North Korean police on the streets and in border areas. The solution is money, leaders, who then punished the policemen. which is much easier to hide (it can be swallowed), because people When I was imprisoned for 15 months in China, having been can bribe the border guards or policemen if caught. Money can also caught and awaiting repatriation, there was a period of several months help those who struggle to come to South Korea to hire a guide. with no new imprisonment of refugees. We wondered why, and later Even after resettlement in South Korea, many refugees are in debt we discovered that the first international campaign about North Korean to the brokers who guided them to freedom. If you want to help human rights had swept over several countries. Thanks to that presrefugees, the best way is to raise funds and send them to China via sure on the Chinese government, they withheld the repatriation process.
"I don’t understand why the US is so afraid of North Korea"
18 PRISM Magazine