Submit to:

• The Government of the People’s Republic of China

• UNHCR

• Member States of the United Nations Security Council

• Governments of South Korea, the United States, Japan, and the European Union

• International Human Rights Monitoring Bodies

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Subject: We urgently call on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to end its policy of forcibly repatriating North Korean defectors in violation of international law and basic humanitarian principles. We further call on the United Nations and the international community to hold China accountable for its non-compliance with treaty obligations and its complicity in crimes against humanity committed by the DPRK.

Background: The principle of non-refoulement prohibits the return of individuals to a country where they face persecution, torture, or other serious harm. China is permanent member of the UN Security Council, a state party to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and a state party to the UN Convention Against Torture. Despite this, the Chinese government continues to forcibly repatriate North Korean defectors, knowing full well that returnees face grave abuses upon arrival in the DPRK, including torture, forced labor, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, and execution.

North Koreans fleeing the regime are not “economic migrants”, as the Chinese government claims, but asylum seekers fleeing a state known for its systematic crimes against humanity. China’s actions constitute a violation of the non-refoulement obligation under international law, complicity in torture and persecution committed by the North Korean regime, and a deliberate effort to assist in suppressing political dissent and freedom of movement. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that the Chinese and North Korean governments have escalated joint crackdowns, especially along border regions such as North Hamgyong Province, including increased border militarization (watchtowers, fencing, armed patrols), public messaging campaigns to deter defection, and surveillance and detention operations in Chinese territory targeting defectors and those aiding them.

Women and children constitute the majority of North Korean defectors in China and face unique abuses. Women are routinely trafficked into forced marriages and sexual slavery, particularly in rural areas. Children born from these unions often lack legal status, education, and healthcare, and may face repatriation or abandonment. Pregnant women repatriated to North Korea face forced abortions, infanticide, and brutal interrogation.

We urge for:

1. China ceasing all forced repatriation of North Korean defectors

   1. Recognize defectors as refugees sur place under international refugee law

   2. Immediately halt deportations and grant access to UNHCR for status determination

2. China fulfilling its treaty obligations

   1. Uphold its commitments under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Convention Against Torture

   2. Cooperate with UN bodies and allow independent monitoring of detention and repatriation practices

3. Response from international community

   1. The UN Security Council and UNHCR must pressure China to halt deportations

   2. South Korea and democratic allies must offer expanded asylum pathways and protection for defectors in transit

4. Protection and safe passage for women and children

   1. Establish humanitarian corridors or third-country resettlement programs

   2. Provide legal protections for North Korean women and their children in China

   3. Strengthen international monitoring of trafficking and sexual exploitation networks