Policy Recommendations

HanVoice has two overall objectives.

• Find safe haven for past, present, and future North Korean refugees, especially in China
• Alleviate the root causes of the refugee crisis: in other words, alleviate the human rights violations within North Korea itself.

These two objectives are by no means a walk in the park. So how does HanVoice envision achieving these goals?

The North Korean Refugees

HanVoice believes that the Canadian government has a very unique position in the international community to influence real change regarding China’s repatriation policy.

There are many more reasons why it would be beneficial for China to change its categorical repatriation policy.

• First and foremost, it would provide a face-saving way to ameliorate China’s own global image vis-à-vis human rights.
• Second, this proposal would allow China to police its own borders and allow a buffer zone between China and the DPRK.
• Third, at the present time, the policy of categorical repatriation is not working and not deterring North Koreans from crossing the border. As long as the root causes of the North Korean refugee crisis are present, North Koreans will continue to cross the border and China will have to continue to repatriate them.

With these considerations in mind, what can Canada do?

• Instead of blatant criticism, Canada is in a position to engage with China over this issue. To be able to engage China, we must also keep in mind Beijing’s own interests and seek a realistic solution.
• Ideally, this determination would be made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN organization responsible for the protection of refugees. However, If the UNHCR is unable or unwilling to make such determinations, why not let the Chinese authorities do it themselves?
• Canada can step in to provide assistance in refugee determination and acceptance. Although there is no legislation in place guaranteeing refugee status for North Koreans, Canada can certainly ensure the Chinese government that it will allocate a certain number of North Koreans for refugee screening within Canada by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). If these North Koreans are not accepted by the IRB, an arrangement can be made with the ROK government that these North Koreans would be sent to the ROK, and not to the DPRK.
• Canada can also contribute by increasing its contributions to the UNHCR and earmarking certain monies towards solving the North Korean refugee crisis. In this way, not only will these monies be required to be spent in assisting North Korean refugees, but Canada’s own voice within the UNHCR will become stronger through its increased financial contribution.
• Canada can also contribute in alleviating the root causes of the refugee crisis within North Korea.

The Root Causes: North Korea

A solution to the North Korean refugee crisis cannot be reached without addressing the root of the whole crisis: the situation in the DPRK itself. The objective here is alleviating the situation that causes mass displacement within the DPRK. This includes not only increasing food security among the North Korean people, but also the tougher issue of increasing political and economic freedoms within the country as well.

How should governments approach the DPRK?

There are three options available to governments:

• advocate immediate regime change;
• do nothing and wait to see what happens; or
• engage the DPRK with the aim of bringing about internal change.

HanVoice remains sceptical whether immediate regime change would ultimately alleviate the root causes of North Korean displacement: in fact, rather than alleviate, immediate regime change could exacerbate the situation. Preparing for a sudden fall of regime with the DPRK’s neighbours is prudent; advocating for it is not.

On the other hand, we cannot stand by and do nothing as well. Hundreds of thousands remain in prison camps that remain a macabre combination of the gulags of the former Soviet Union and Auschwitz. Torture is rampant; executions still public. Political and economic freedoms are non-existent as the secret police keep watch over all. We cannot sit back and do nothing and ask ourselves in the future why we stood idle.

Thus by elimination, the only solution left is engagement. It is not a perfect solution; but as solutions go, we believe it is the only one which is viable.

What does engagement mean? Engagement means that the Canadian government, as well as other non-governmental organizations, must sit down with the North Korean regime and begin a sincere dialogue that is beyond simple lip service. It means creating permanent channels of communication in both Pyongyang and Ottawa. It means increasing humanitarian aid to the North Korean people despite diversion that may happen with this aid, as well as beginning negotiations for a stable bilateral official development assistance program operated by the Canadian International Development Agency. It means joining in multilateral development programs that will help open up the DPRK to the international community. Engagement means encouraging Track Two type exchanges on the cultural and educational level.

Yet it also means being tough on such issues as disarmament and human rights. It means using the leverage created by the dollars spent in the DPRK to gain closure of prison camps, moves that can be easily monitored through simple existing technologies such as Google Earth. It means negotiating for increased access for humanitarian and development personnel and in turn a further opening up of North Korea to the world. Engagement does not mean the absence of criticism. It does not mean appeasement. One cannot engage simply for the sake of engaging. Unlike the version of the “sunshine policy” that was implemented by previous ROK governments, engagement does not always mean being a loss leader – the goals of critical engagement lie both in the short term as well as the long term. A policy of critical engagement can help move the North Korean regime away from the style of brinksmanship diplomacy that has been a trademark for decades.