Country: North Korea
Deborah Choi sought to flee repression in her native North Korea only to suffer horrific abuse in China as a victim of human trafficking before ultimately finding freedom in the United States.
Now an American citizen, Choi fled North Korea in 2004 after secretly watching a South Korean drama that she says opened her eyes to the possibilities of a different life. The North Korean government controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives, including basic human dignities like freedom of speech and religion and even the ability to travel freely. Speaking negatively about the regime or consuming foreign media can lead to imprisonment in forced labor camps or even execution.
Three months after viewing the drama, Cho fled North Korea and crossed Tumen River into China. But shortly after arriving in Beijing, nefarious actors targeted her, promising to support her starving family back in North Korea. Soon after, they sold her to a Chinese man. Choi remained trapped in China for a year and a half before she found an opportunity to escape.
After gaining access to a computer, Choi contacted Chun Ki Won, a pastor living in Seoul known to help North Koreans flee both North Korea and China. Chun was able to smuggle Choi out of the country and sent her to America in 2006. After arriving, Choi became one of the first North Korean refugees to be legally admitted to the United States under the North Korean Human Rights Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2004. The act categorized North Koreans who have defected as eligible for refugee status and asylum in the United States. It also facilitated the application process for defectors who first fled to third countries like China.
Arriving with few resources and minimal English, she rebuilt her life from scratch.
It’s estimated that tens of thousands of North Korean refugees currently live clandestinely in China. A repatriation agreement between China and North Korea categorizes these refugees in China as “illegal economic migrants” and gives a pretense for the Chinese government to forcibly send them back to North Korea. This directly contradicts international law regarding the status of refugees. And once back, they are labeled enemies of the state and face torture, imprisonment in labor camps, and even execution.
Choi knows firsthand how the fear of being repatriated often makes North Koreans living in China vulnerable to exploitation.
“I appear before you today as someone who lived inside the North Korean system, lived in China under the constant fear of forced repatriation, became a victim of human trafficking,” Choi testified Sept. 16 before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
In her testimony, Choi highlighted the dangers North Korean escapees face in China, the nature of repression in North Korea, and why human rights need to remain central to U.S. foreign policy.
Today, Choi is a human rights advocate involved in efforts in Washington, D.C., raising awareness of the atrocities North Koreans face and providing support for North Korean defectors. She continues to be a powerful voice for North Koreans, both those who have escaped and those who remain in the country.
