China's Forced Repatriation of North Korean Refugees Incurs United Nations Censure.

The UN Commission of Inquiry (COI), established in 2013 to investigate widespread, systematic, and grave human rights violations in North Korea, has strongly implicated China in North Korea's commission of crimes against humanity because of its forced repatriation of North Korean refugees and asylum-seekers, who are severely punished once returned. China, however, insists that North Koreans exiting without permission are 'economic migrants,' not refugees, and that deportations are essential to maintaining its national security, social order, and border controls, as well as the stability of the Korean Peninsula. Although a preponderance of states at the United Nations have rejected China's position, China has continued to subordinate UN human rights and refugee standards to its immediate political objectives and continues to deny to North Koreans their right to leave their country and seek asylum abroad. As greater international pressure focuses on China's policies and practices, a vigorous international effort is needed to protect North Korean refugees and encourage China to see that its interests may be better served over the longer term by modifying its policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]