Opening the Door
by Vivekananda Nemana
When the Mongolian government reached an agreement earlier this year to usher in thousands of North Korean workers, it felt like a saint offering relief to the oppressed and suffering. Anyone who even vaguely follows the news has heard about the tyranny of Kim Jong Il's autocratic regime, and this is a wonderful opportunity for many families to escape without having to fear Kim's ironhanded punishments.
North Koreans face severe restrictions on economic and political freedoms. They do not have the basic freedoms of information or assembly. Detractors face brutal punishments, and common people struggle to make ends meet in the flaccid, state-dominated economy.
On top of it all, the government strictly controls entry and exit out of the country, and severely punishes those who try to escape. It doesn't help that the government of China, seen as an El Dorado for Koreans wishing to flee, rounds up refugees and returns them to their home country.
So when a legal agreement to officially allow 5,300 Korean workers in Mongolia was reached, it translated into hope for thousands of people. It's an admirable move by the Mongolian government to shepherd these workers towards opportunity for a greater life. But simply giving entry to the workers may not be enough.
Human rights groups report that the expat workers face severe restrictions on their mobility, expression, and association. Some workers are constantly monitored by North Korean Big Brothers, known as "minders," and are often forced to contribute large chunks of their salaries towards bank accounts operated by North Korea.
These people leave North Korea hoping for a new life, and find themselves back in the same jail cell, this time with a different coat of paint.
What made Mongolia's decision so venerable was the chance it gave the 5,300 North Koreans to improve their lives. It made an implicit promise to protect the welfare of these workers. And that promise is broken if their employers continue to abuse them and if the North Korean government continues to oppress them from afar.
Moreover, the workers, coming from such an oppressive society, do not know the first thing about their own human rights. They are vulnerable to the desires and manipulations of greedy employers, and are easily fooled by any figure representing authority.
The Mongolian government can take fairly simple measures to protect their rights, and give the migrants the new lives they hoped for. Authorities can inspect the facilities where the Koreans work, educate the workers about their rights, and make sure they are getting their proper wages.
Mongolia now faces a crossroads. It can either set an example on the world stage for the rightful treatment of refugees, or join the gloomy cloud of asylum-offering countries callous to real human rights. The decision, it seems, should be obvious.
