North Korean women trafficked as brides

SEOUL — Thousands of North Korean women fleeing famine in their homeland in recent years say they have been sold as “brides” to Chinese men, who often force them into backbreaking labor and subject them to constant fear, physical assault and sexual abuse.

Women who were trafficked into China, lured by the promise of food and a decent living, described their experiences in an unprecedented series of interviews by Radio Free Asia’s Korean service.

“A woman from our village who said she’d been to China told me that we could make some money there, so I followed her and crossed the Tumen River,” said Jeong Soo-ok, who was caught and sold by trafficking rings after crossing the border from North Korea into China in March 2004.

“Before I even knew it, I was taken to a man’s house,” Mrs. Jeong said.

Paek Sun-joo was an 18-year-old on the street when she was sold to a 38-year-old Chinese man more than two years ago. “[The traffickers] would gather people wearing rags, appearing to be compassionate and pity them, giving them something to eat and telling them that in China they would be able to feed and clothe themselves adequately,” Mrs. Paek said.

“It is easy to be tricked when you are starving, and somebody gives you some food, telling you that there will be plenty more for you if you go with them,” she said.

Poor women targeted

Most women trafficked in China come from areas of North Korea close to the Chinese border, such as Chagang, Northern Hamgyong and Yanggang provinces. They often are destitute and socially marginalized — itinerant peddlers or street children.

Hoh Kyung-soon of Changjin went to China in September 1998 at age 17.

“Somebody in North Korea had told me that I could make money working in China, and all I wanted to do was to work there for a month and then return to live with my parents,” Mrs. Hoh said. “Next thing I knew, I was taken to a trafficking establishment in China.”

The victims say North Korean women ages 17 to 40 are sold to Chinese nationals ages 37 to 58.

North Korean women said they were being sold in China for 2,000 to 20,000 yuan ($260 to $2,600), depending on their age and looks.

The traffickers, mostly ethnic Korean Chinese citizens, operate a well-defined organization: There are “merchandise” scouts, distributors, brokers and transporters. The scouts identify vulnerable North Korean women who are “marketable” and lure them into crossing the Chinese border with promises of well-paying jobs and a better life.

The distributors match the women with buyers, and the brokers complete the sale. Once the deal has been closed, the transporters take the women to their final destinations.

Chun Young-hee said traffickers had sold her twice. “The bride’s price tag depends on her age and looks. The youngest and best-looking ones sell for up to 20,000 yuan. A bride that’s worth only 3,000 yuan is tough to sell.”

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