Citizenship & the Rights of Others

Totalitarianism is completely relevant to North Korea and its refugee problem. It is the issue. Kim Jung Il has been ruling with an iron fist since he took power when his father, Kim Il Sung died. This could potentially be attributed to the propaganda that is put out by the North Korean government, but it is more due to the brainwashing tactics used by the government. Some citizens of North Korea don't know that there is much more in the world than North Korea-- most of them don't even know that there has been a man on the moon!

Benhabib's article is also extremely relevant because the North Korean's need to be able to escape the country and be able to be protected elsewhere when they do. They need to be protected when they escape to China, South Korea, or elsewhere, both from repatriation and from human rights abuses from the government in which they seek refuge.

The reason that China is deporting the North Korean refugees is that they are being considered illegal immigrants. Unfortunately that means that the North Koreans have nowhere to go, except South Korea, which is virtually impossible to defect to.