No place to call home - a visual ethnography on North Korean defectors in Toronto

Abstract

After the arduous journey escaping the North Korean regime and residing for a period of time in South Korea, many North Korean defectors make their way to Canada and claim refugee status. The North Korean population in the city of Toronto is being rapidly driven out of the country due to new immigration policies cracking down on misrepresentation upon arrival. This is a visual ethnography that explores the experience of North Korean defectors in the city of Toronto, and how these policy changes have impacted their life through the eyes of defectors themselves and other legal, policy, human rights, and settlement experts on the matter in Toronto. Several polarizing opinions were present, exhibiting both sympathy for those who have settled down in Canada and support for the government's desire to keep out North Koreans who are not considered real refugees.