Borderland Regime: Actors of Bordering and Infrastructuring in the North Korean Diaspora to South Korea

This study traces the trajectory of a borderland regime and the roles of key actors in bordering and infrastructuring within the diaspora of female defectors – turned entrepreneurs – from North Korea. While previous research has explored the coexistence of bordering and infrastructuring in borderlands, the roles of actors, particularly in the Global East, have been less studied. This research conceptualises actors such as informal markets, multiple nation-states, brokers, churches and families – identified through interviews, observations and document analysis – as part of a borderland regime in the North Korean diaspora to South Korea. Women developed networks among these actors during defection from North Korea and settlement – networks that were constantly renegotiated in a shifting geopolitical environment. In the repurposing of infrastructure, the line between formal and informal networks often becomes blurred, with some actors fulfilling both roles and the defectors themselves becoming integral links in the circularity of these networks. This research highlights these networks’ interconnectedness and offers a relational approach to debordering in the Global East, contributing to the understanding of survival and empowerment strategies.