Third-Country-Born North Korean Children Are Anomalous Citizens : Politics of Belonging in South Korea’s Categorized Migrant Policy

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines the issues regarding the categorized migration policies of South Korea through the case of North Korean children born in a third country residing in South Korea. Despite being “legally” granted South Korean citizenship, third-country-born North Korean children (TCBNKC) have, in practice, not been fully accepted as members of Korean society from the broader theoretical perspective on citizenship. We claim that such exclusion from “full citizenship” originates from the group-based or categorized policy approach toward North Koreans and migrants in South Korea. We contend that a ‘single comprehensive approach’ is imperative as a policy alternative for rectifying the political and social marginalization of the TCBNKC caused by differentiated citizenship and categorical thinking about minorities.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. Introduction
• Ⅱ. Debates on the Status of North Koreans Who Entered South Korea
• Ⅲ. Citizenship Encroached by the Group-Based Approach
• Ⅳ. Policy Alternative to the Group-Based Approach
• V. Conclusion
• References