China Intensifies Biometric Surveillance to Crack Down on North Korean Defectors

China has escalated its efforts to identify and deport North Korean defectors by enhancing biometric surveillance along its northeastern border. According to a new report based on official documents and accounts from individuals familiar with the situation, border police have been given quotas to locate and expel undocumented migrants, making it increasingly difficult for defectors to evade capture.

The measures include the establishment of new deportation centers, deployment of hundreds of facial recognition cameras, and increased boat patrols along the 1,400-kilometer border shared with North Korea. Chinese authorities have also begun closely monitoring social media accounts of North Koreans residing in China and collecting their fingerprints, voice samples, and facial data.

Chinese authorities classify North Korean defectors as illegal economic migrants rather than refugees. While there is no publicly available data on the number of deportations, rights groups suggest that the risk of capture has increased due to tighter surveillance. The Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group estimates that about 70 percent of defectors attempting to reach South Korea in the past two years have been arrested by Chinese police, a significant rise from previous years.

The Chinese government’s budget documents for border police in provinces adjoining North Korea reveal increased funding for border security upgrades, including patrol boats and surveillance systems using deep learning to enhance facial recognition capabilities. New deportation facilities have also been constructed in border cities like Dandong and Tumen.

Defectors have expressed heightened fear due to the widespread use of facial recognition technology, which has made movement within China more perilous. Some have avoided registering their biometric data and have undertaken dangerous journeys through third countries to reach South Korea.

Source: The Japan Times

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September 26, 2024 – by Tony Bitzionis