Historical-Legal Construction of the North Korean defector as a subject of juridical protection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32870/mycp.v15i45.988Keywords:
South Korea, North Korean defectors, alterity, inclusion, exclusionAbstract
This article examines the normative evolution of North Korean defectors as a legal subject in South Korean legislation, based on a historical periodization and a theoretical framework grounded in the ethics of alterity. It analyzes how the legal, symbolic, and functional recognition of North Korean defectors has varied across different political contexts, reflecting tensions between inclusion and exclusion within the framework of national reunification. The study employs a qualitative, documentary and comparative methodology, drawing on laws, institutional discourses, and public policies of the Ministry of Unification and other relevant entities. The findings indicate that the figure of North Korean defectors have been constructed as a “particular other,” evolving from a securitized subject to an assisted one. It is concluded that this evolution underscores the need to rethink legal and political categories in order to better understand their integration into contemporary Korean society.Downloads
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