중국의 탈북자 정책 동학과 한국의 대응전략

Abstract

In China-Korean relations, North Korean defectors have become a major issue in 2012. Various attempts were made in order to prevent the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China, but the results were quite unsatisfactory. This research starts with a question: why does China insist on the repatriation of North Korean defectors?Although research on North Korean defectors has been diversely conducted in different time periods, not much has been done in terms of defector policy, stance and dynamics in China. Therefore, unlike the existing research, I tried to analyze defector policy and dynamics in China from a Chinese point of view. China has been taking a political approach by linking its self-interest-oriented Korean peninsula policy to defector issues. The main point of this approach was to maintain the status quo of the Korean peninsula and to take strategic interests from both North and South Korea. China’s tough and rule-of-thumb stance in defector issue also resulted from North Korea’s increased strategic value to China. Especially after America’s return to Asia, America and neighboring countries’ vigilance against China has been tightened. It added the North Korean regime’s lasting stability to the category of China’s main national interest. Moreover, the instability of the new Kim Jung Un regime was also great. Therefore, China had to consider the defector issue in respect of its national interest first rather than its responsibility as a member of the international society. China has been repeating its logic and stance that they are dealing with forced repatriation issue according to the international law, domestic law, and humanitarian principles, while ignoring the demand of Korea and the international society. China has been taking a political approach by playing with the ‘forced repatriation card’ in between North and South Korea for different political situations or by allowing some defectors to go to Korea. Hence, as long as there is no essential change in China’s policy for the Korean peninsula, especially North Korea policy, it is difficult to transform China’s cognizance and policy toward defectors. Nevertheless, since China’s burden for its responsibility in the international society has been increasing and there have been delicate changes in its North Korea policy, we need to make use of this situation and explore policies that include South Korea’s domestic stance and principle, the strategic solidarity between the government and civil society, realistic and phased measures for the improvement of the rights of the defectors, cooperation with the international society, and the effort to expand the strategic room between Korea and China.