Research Fields
WHAT THE HELL… It’s not my desire. I felt like I was stuck in an invisible trap. It seemed hopeless. (…) One day, one of my colleagues told me that her sister-in-law, a North Korean refugee, went to South Korea, which was the only country willing to grant citizenship to North Korean refugees.
(Geum’s account, extract from Cheong (2022)’s thesis, p.153)
1. The "Invisible Trap": The Meaning of the Northeast Provinces in the Migration Rhythm of North Korean Diasporans
As Geum’s account above shows, her journey captures the visceral transition from a ‘heroic fatalism,’ which is the adrenaline-fueled triumph of surviving a minus-20-degree swim, to the crushing reality of being a non-person. In Yanji and the broader Northeast Three Provinces, the so-called ‘Dongbei’ (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang), North Korean migrants encounter a paradox: they are geographically close to home and surrounded by the familiar sounds of the Korean language, yet they are legally nonexistent.
Why Dongbei region is the "First Rhythm" of migration:
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The Demographic Shift: While early migration trends often viewed China as a mere transit point, contemporary data suggests a shift. The Northeast Three Provinces now house an estimated 5,000 to 50,000 North Koreans living in the shadows. This is no longer a transit zone; for many, it has become a site of long-term, albeit precarious, settlement.
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The Empirical Gap: As shown in Figure 2, despite being the largest North Korean diaspora community outside the peninsula, this group remains largely "invisible" in academic literature. Most research focuses on those who have already reached the Republic of Korea (ROK). By focusing here, this study captures the initial rhythm of migration—the raw, unfiltered moment where civic identity is first stripped away and replaced by a "hider" persona.
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The Catalyst for "Bridge" Awareness: It is in this region that refugees first encounter the "Other." They hear the names of the Kim dynasty in contexts they never dared imagine and witness the affluence of the ROK through smuggled media. This cognitive dissonance, realizing they were lied to about the "American imperialist" poverty of the South, is the first spark of the transnational consciousness required to become a "Bridge Citizen."
Northeast China (Dongbei : Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang)
Figure 1. The Korean-Chinese Borderland
(Source: Cartography: O. Kim, edited by author)
Figure 2. Settlement and Residence Status of North Korean Diasporans (by 2024)
북한이탈주민의 해외 거주 현황 朝鲜侨民的定居与居留身份
(Source : UNHCR refugee population statistics is available at https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/download/?url=v)
2. From Liminality to Plurality: The Significance of New Malden
If the Northeast Three Provinces represent the rhythm of survival and secrecy, New Malden represents the rhythm of integration and reimagination.
The "Unified Korea" in Miniature
As described in Cheong (2022), New Malden is a unique transnational enclave. It is perhaps the only place on earth where South Korean entrepreneurs, ethnic Korean (Chosunjok in Korean) workers, and North Korean defectors interact daily within a British socio-political framework.
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A Destination of Choice: Unlike the ROK, where defectors often face social stigmatization or a ‘glass ceiling,’ New Malden offers a neutral ground. The migration from China to the UK represents a deliberate move to escape the ‘refugee’ label and seek a broader ‘global citizen’ identity.
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The Bridge Citizen Laboratory: In New Malden, the "Bridge Citizen" is not a theoretical concept but a lived reality. Here, individuals navigate three distinct cultural layers: their North Korean heritage, their South Korean ethnic identity, and their British civic status. This creates a "multi-layered life history" that is essential for understanding how these individuals might eventually act as agents of peace and integration for a future unified peninsula.
New Malden (UK)
Figure 3. The map of London
Figure 4. The street of New Malden in April 2017 (Cheong, 2022)
3. Logically Linking the Two Locations
The study utilizes a quasi-longitudinal approach and autobiographical narrative inquiry including photovoice to connect these two disparate geographic points into a single, coherent narrative of "becoming."
4. Why these two sites?
The significance of these two locations lies in their ability to bookend the defector's experience. By tracing the trajectory from the statelessness of Dongbei to the pluralism of New Malden, this research moves beyond a ‘Korean Peninsula-centric’ view. It recognizes that the future of the Korean Peninsula is being written not just in Seoul, but in the kitchens of London and the hidden workplaces of Northeast China.
These individuals are not merely "maladjusted" refugees; they are long-term diasporans with complex histories. Their ability to navigate the "invisible traps" of China and the cultural "melting pot" of the UK makes them the primary candidates for "Bridge Citizens"—individuals who possess the unique life memories and transnational rhythms necessary to bridge the gap between two halves of a divided nation.
Figure 5. The Map of Transnational Migration Trajectories