N Koreans immigrate to US

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Registered: 04-16-2003
N Koreans immigrate to US
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 3:15pm
North Korean Refugees Arrive in U.S. Through China, Mexico, Canada

The Korea Daily and The Chosun Journal,

Compiled and translated by Kapson Lee, Apr 07, 2004

North Korean refugees who fled to China in search of food and freedom are trickling into the United States. Some have come legally, but most have entered illegally across the Mexican and Canadian borders.

Currently, Los Angeles is home to at least 7,000 North Koreans who made their way from China. It is unknown how many of them are North Korean refugees, but an official at the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles and advocates for North Korean refugees agree that the number may be in the hundreds.

Last year, Mexico expelled 156 Koreans from North Korea who attempted to enter the country with invalid South Korean passports, according to Mexican immigration authorities.

Both Mexico and Canada give a three-month visitor status to South Koreans under no-visa treaties with the Seoul government, enabling South Koreans to enter those countries freely for a temporary stay.

When the three-month period is up, many head for the U.S. border.

Douglas Shin who heads Exodus 21, an agency for North Korean refugees, said he knows of at least four North Korean refugees who were arrested last year at the Canadian border while trying to enter illegally into the United States.

The Korean Consulate in Los Angeles has a record of 14 North Korean refugees who came to the United States with a valid South Korean passport. Four of them have overstayed, and the rest are constantly traveling between the United States and South Korea, a consulate official said.

Generally, the refugees come through one of two routes: they go to South Korea, live there for several years and then visit the United States with a South Korean passport; or they follow smuggling paths taken by Koreans in China.

Koreans in China are known to obtain a forged South Korean passport from a broker who arranges their travel by charging from $10,000 to $30,000 per person. Those who go this route often spend life savings to escape from, North Korea, according to activists who work with refugees. South Korean passports, which are made by underground rings, cost anywhere from $300 to $800 each.

On March 31, the U.S. Congress passed the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, legislation that will build cooperation with North Koreans on human rights and refugee protections and also increase humanitarian aid programs. The act authorizes $2 million each year through 2008 for these projects. But some say the government isn’t doing enough for North Korean refugees in the U.S.

In support of U.S. involvement, the North Korean Freedom Coalition, a bipartisan advocacy group, is organizing a “North Korean Freedom Day” rally on April 28 when congress is scheduled to hold a hearing on the act.

“North Korean defectors are coming from Seoul and other cities to be part of this day and to participate in several events to focus attention on the enslavement of their homeland,” a coalition spokesperson said.

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=8fa5f0158509c8adf178d36ab24515e6