Mongolia closes borders to fleeing North Koreans

Wed, 2007-06-06 22:38

Mongolia has closed its borders to defecting North Korean citizens seeking a route to South Korea. 

As the North Korean economy has plummeted and many North Koreans lack food, defections from the Communist country has greatly increased. Just over the border in neighboring China, estimates put the number of Koreans who have fled as high as 40,000 to 50,000. 

After a number of high profile events in which North Koreans seeking asylum stormed embassies in Beijing, China began preventing North Koreans from crossing their common border. 

Many North Koreans reaching China would continue their journey to Mongolia, with the hope of eventually settling in South Korea.  

However, along with countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, Mongolia has begun turning North Korean defectors away from their borders. 

In general, observers see this as an act to placate North Korea, which often protests the presence of their citizens in neighboring countries.

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Archived Comments
Choi
2007-06-06 11:31:22
When? For how long? Who authorized to close the border? Who did that? From where does this 40,000 to 50,000 figure come from? They usually cross Mongolian border especially during the winter when Tumen River is frozen.
Gorn
2007-06-06 12:19:29
Poore people, shame on Mongolia for doing that! There in no excuse, these people are trying to escape from worst hellhole on this planet compared only with Turkmenistan!!! They need help in any way possible- that is only buddhist thing to do!! Oh yea I forgot Mongolian government isn\'t buddhist, it\'s buissnes-ist and we all know there is no profit in helping refugees, is there? :()
Chuluun
2007-06-06 15:32:05
Mongolians are constantly being deported and denied visas to other countries. Why NKoreans should have any preferential treatment over poor and starving in all other countries?
Gorn
2007-06-06 22:13:44
Yes Chuluun, visa&deportation buissnes is big buissnes and many government officials allover this planet are making fine living of it (on top of taxpayers money offcourse), but that is another story! It\'s one thing to send someone back to relativly normal country and it\'s another thing not to wanting to help one trying to escape from Realm of Stalinist Beast, no? What do you think will happen to those people back in Commiecratic Republic of Korea if they are cought and returned? They will be send to concentration camps for trying to leave that beutiful-socialist-heaven-on-earth.
Gorn
2007-06-06 22:14:54
Yes Chuluun, visa&deportation buissnes is big buissnes and many government officials allover this planet are making fine living of it (on top of taxpayers money offcourse), but that is another story! It\'s one thing to send someone back to relativly normal country and it\'s another thing not to wanting to help one trying to escape from Realm of Stalinist Beast, no? What do you think will happen to those people back in Commiecratic Republic of Korea if they are cought and returned? They will be send to concentration camps for trying to leave that beutiful socialist heaven on earth.
Nyamkhuu
2007-06-07 03:48:20
I think it is baseless. This reporter does not have official facts to prove what he wrote. I have never seen any north koreans in UB. There are many stinky south koreans in UB stealing our property and turning our women into whores. Stinky koreans get out my country Great Mongolia
Mongol lady
2007-06-07 09:33:12
We should be worrying more about chinese invasion rather than uninterntionally helping north koreans!!! If we did close our border for them, in whose favor are we doing it??? bastards up on the decision-making levels, ruining the reputation of the part of the population who actually has some potential!!! and also a potential threat to those morons!
Nora
2007-06-07 15:38:52
Gorn, you sound like an american, with your somewhat father of all world attitude, trying to teach morals in every corner of the world. But world doesn\'t seem like its self proclaimed \"father\"... Do you really have to tell Mongolia how to deal properly with North Korea?
Gorn
2007-06-07 16:27:48
That\'s funny Nora :]] I think you sound like an American! Super educated liberal lefty who probably belives that 9/11 is \"inside job\" and has nothing to do with islamic terrorism! Am I right, or am I right!? As for my self I\'m NOT an American but my country has suffered greatly from power thursty beasts while rest of educated viseass world has done nothing to help us! We needed that \"father\" you are talking about but he was to busy to help I guess. I\'m not telling anyone how to deal with anything only saying that people in danger from thugs need to be helped no mater what. There is no other human thing to do. It is in human nature to help one another and in brain dead freak\'s nature is to look other way and say \"thats not my buissnes I\'m to smart to help, I have to go and smoke pot and watch MTV\". American culture can only make you become opssesed with your personal needs and unsensitive for suffering of others so I really don\'t see why is that my opinion seems so american-like to you?
Nora
2007-06-08 19:28:42
Gorn, by mistaking you for an american, I didn\'t mean to offend you personally in any way. I apologize, if I, somehow, did it unintentionally. America is a great nation, americans are great people, but its policy towards global affairs, that\'s what ticks me off. And also, sorry for sufferings, your country endured. Nora

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