I have joined others on the front lines of protests against the repatriation of North Korean refugees. Today, I am turning that protest into a plea for action by Western countries to be more welcoming of North Korean refugees.

North Korea is known for its oppressive regime, where human rights are routinely violated and freedoms are non-existent. The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea has reported widespread abuses including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape and forced abortions (UN Report A/HRC/25/63). 

Despite these horrifying conditions, many Western nations remain hesitant to grant asylum to North Korean refugees. They applaud them for escaping, then tell them to get in the long immigration line. 

According to Human Rights Watch's 2020 World Report on North Korea's human rights situation - an estimated 30-50% of approximately 10k-30k undocumented North Koreans living in China were forcibly sent back over the past decade despite facing serious risks upon return.

This petition calls upon Western nations - countries that champion human rights and democracy - to open their doors wide for these desperate souls seeking refuge from oppression. Let us not turn our backs on them but instead extend our hands in aid.

Please join me by signing this petition urging Western governments to offer asylum and protection for those fleeing from one of the world's most repressive regimes – let us stand together as a beacon of hope for those who need it most.

Many appeals are calling on China to stop repatriating North Korean refugees. I support those and encourage you to also do so. This petition is focused on Western countries and democracies in particular. After you sign the comment, please mention which country you would like to encourage to be more welcoming of North Korean refugees.

Here's how you can help:

1) Sign this petition. https://www.change.org/locomotion

2) Make a donation to support this campaign. https://donate.lovefsi.com/locomotion

Last year we had a last-minute opportunity to send a North Korean refugee to participate in a hearing in Washington, D.C. There weren't any North Korean refugees testifying at the hearing. It was a last-minute request and we didn't have funds allocated for it so we didn't move forward. We would like to use the funds from this fundraiser to send a North Korean refugee the next time there is an opportunity to speak about repatriation and encourage Western countries to open their doors.

Here is the link to a Korea Times column I wrote calling on Western countries to open their doors to North Korean refugees.

Here are some statistics from that column:

USA

• About 220 North Korean refugees have legally found refuge.
• 107 out of 238 North Korean applicants from 2004 to 2010 abandoned their asylum applications to the USA because of paperwork and delays.

Canada

• Canada’s 2016 census recorded that 970 North Koreans were residing in the country.
• By 2021, that number had plummeted to 775. 
• By 2018, Canadian authorities initiated the deportation of 242 North Koreans and were in the process of deporting an additional 512 after discovering many had already obtained South Korean citizenship before moving to Canada.

United Kingdom

• More than one-third of the 1,300 asylum applications by North Korean refugees to the U.K. government were rejected between 2003 and 2018.

Belgium

• The Diplomat reported in 2015 that Belgium rejected 99 out of 126 asylum claims.

Netherlands

• In 2015, it rejected all 128 applications from North Korean refugees.

France

• In 2015, it rejected all 19 applications from North Korean refugees.

If you have more up-to-date numbers then please share them with me and I will update them here.