Many North Koreans continue to escape from their impoverished and repressive country. Last week, 29 escapees took refuge at a Japanese school in Beijing. Shortly afterward, they were taken to the Japanese Embassy for identification and questioning before being transferred to a third country. The South Korean government expressed its willingness to accept all of them.
This is the third time that North Koreans have sought asylum at a Japanese facility in China. In May 2002, five people entered the Consulate General in Shenyang; in February 2003, four others took refuge at the Beijing school. The latest group of 29 -- 11 men, 15 women and three children -- is the largest yet to seek protection at any diplomatic mission or foreign school in the country.
Reports show that the exodus from North Korea has accelerated since 2000, when those who entered South Korea via China and other countries numbered 583. The number jumped to 1,140 in 2001 and to 1,281 in 2002. The figure for this year is believed certain to hit a new record. Case-by-case numbers of asylum-seekers have also increased markedly, as illustrated by the latest incident. Also notable is the diversification of escape routes. In earlier years, most escapees went to South Korea from China. Now, however, more and more go first to Southeast Asian countries from China -- a trend that appears to reflect a tightened crackdown by Chinese authorities.