Politics of the North Korean Diaspora

This Element explains the origins and shape of the North Korean diaspora.

Sheena Chestnut Greitens (Author)

9781009454537, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 January 2024

102 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.1 cm, 0.3 kg

Politics of the North Korean Diaspora examines how authoritarian security concerns shape global diaspora politics. Empirically, it traces the recent emergence of a North Korean diaspora – a globally-dispersed population of North Korean émigrés – and argues that the non-democratic nature of the DPRK homeland regime fundamentally shapes diasporic politics. Pyongyang perceives the diaspora as a threat to regime security, and attempts to dissuade emigration, de-legitimate diasporic voices, and deter or disrupt diasporic political activity, including through extraterritorial violence and transnational repression. This, in turn, shapes the North Korean diaspora's perceptions of citizenship and patterns of diasporic political engagement: North Korean émigrés have internalized many host country norms, particularly the civil and participatory dimensions of democratic citizenship, and émigrés have played important roles in both host-country and global politics. This Element provides new empirical evidence on the North Korean diaspora; demonstrates that regime type is an important, understudied factor shaping transnational and diasporic politics; and contributes to our understanding of comparative authoritarianism's global impact.

1. Introduction: North Korea's Emerging Diaspora
2. North Korea's Diaspora Management Policies
3. Shaping the North Korean Diaspora
4. Citizenship & Political Belief
5. Citizenship & Political Behavior
6. Conclusions, Comparative Connections, & implications
References.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]