China has started to loosen their controls over and pursuit of North Korean defectors.
A defection broker reported to Radio Free Asia that when the Tumen River froze around the Lunar New Year holidays, the North Korean authorities' attempts to clampdown on the border region escalated. As a result, the number of defectors from North Korea making it to China decreased. However, he said he received many calls from North Korean defectors residing in China asking for his help to take them to a third country. The broker reported that he never got caught this year.
An expert on North Korean human rights said that the Chinese government’s attitude toward the North Korean authorities has changed. The difference in the government's position has reached a stage where they are no longer being active in trying to catch defectors. It seems Chinese people’s view of North Korea has changed because of North Korea’s recent rocket launch.
Source: Radio Free Asia
