Kook’s research involves North Korean Migrants into China and South Korea. However, the authors could only manage to interview migrants in South Korea since North Korean immigrants are in hiding in China and could risk exposure during investigations. The principal motivation for crossing borders among North Korean sex workers is escaping poverty and gender inequalities in North and China. China’s culture and gender roles significantly contribute to the migration of women overseas. The country’s rules are stricter on men than women giving women more freedom to move around. For instance, men undergo a ten-year military survival before joining the labor force under strict supervision, while women enter the workforce without the process.
Additionally, gender roles dictate that men take care of their mothers in the village to respect the old. The tradition suppresses women by forcing them to become the breadwinner of the household. Women venture into illegal businesses, like exchanging goods in the black market. Consequently, they find networks of migrating abroad with prospects of better pay as commercial sex workers. North Korean women conceal themselves in China by working in the private sector or becoming sex workers, providing an income, and escaping from authorities.
North Korean women also cross over to China because of the high demand for brides. China’s rule of controlling the population by prohibiting more than two births per person has led to fewer girls because families prefer having male children, thus aborting female pregnancies. As a result, there is a high demand for women and wives from overseas, leading to opportunities for North Korean women who can offer sex and marriage prospects. However, the women face difficulties and lack of legal citizenship in the country, forcing them to migrate to South Korea, which has favorable conditions for non-citizens.
Findings indicate that most North Korean immigrants were willing to migrate to China and South Korea and become brides for sale. During the investigations, the women’s story did not match the common belief of coercion or being forced into marriages and sex work; hence the smuggling trade cannot be termed human or sex trafficking.
According to the authors, the women’s voluntary recruitment does not fall under the United Nations anti-trafficking protocol since it involves smuggling willing participants who initiate the whole process. The number of women who were deceived or forced into marriage and sex work accounts for only 3% of the interviewed population. The author argues that migrants can become victims of sex trafficking if they face legal threats or are found out by the authorities leading to deportation.
According to the findings, women are grateful to individuals who facilitate the border crossing because they provide safety, transport, and accommodation throughout the journey. The women explain that crossing the border independently is dangerous and might lead to death and deportation. However, go-betweens provide networks for crossing the border, marriage prospects, and employment opportunities overseas.
The middlemen do not force them into marriage if they change their minds once inside the boundaries but find other occupations that enable them to make a living. These findings indicate that mediators are not traffickers but facilitators of safe crossing and employment in foreign countries. One subject stated that the middlemen offer credit services if they cannot pay before crossing over, which shows that they do not gain from the trade individually but promote others to better their lives.