Ethnic Return Migration in Korea : Relations and Roles of North Korean Defectors and Korean-Chinese

초록

This work examines ethnic return migration from North Korea and China focusing on relations and roles of the North Korean Defectors and Korean-Chinese for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia including two Koreas and China. It also explores how these two groups can be related as a part of Korean diaspora and can make progressive roles for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. I argue that North Korean Defectors should be approached by a part of ethnic return migration in Korea as a Korean diaspora group and roles of them should be proposed as a set of Korean-Chinese returnees because of their relations and similarities with the Korean-Chinese. It also argues that prevailing categorization in legislation and policies on the North Korean Defectors as an independent group is flawed. In reality, North Korean defectors are a group among 2million foreign migrants in Korea as well as 7.2 million Korean diaspora worldwide. Moreover, based on three factors such as historical affinity between Korean-Chinese and North Koreans, relatively recent development of migration from North Korea to China and finally ‘return migration’ to Korea, North Korean Defectors in Korea should be approached with Korean-Chinese returnees in Korea. Also, roles of both groups can be proposed in the context of Northeast Asian peace and development such as stability, unification and cooperative development.