Asylum Lottery & Oppression
Did you know that a North Korean defector has a nearly 100% chance of receiving asylum in the West. A Russian fleeing the current regime faces the opposite? This disparity in how refugees are treated raises a critical question: Why does nationality overshadow individual circumstances when it comes to escaping oppression? The asylum lottery never favors Russians.
Why are North Koreans seen as victims of a brutal regime, their escape stories met with compassion, while Russians fleeing an increasingly similar kind of oppression are not welcome and met with doubt? Let’s unpack this puzzling disparity and explore the reasons behind the West’s selective sympathy towards those seeking freedom. Some of you might already be triggered by the absurdity of the ‘problem’ I’d like to discuss, but you might be surprised by what I have to say. If you bother to stay with me till the end.
North Korean Refugees vs. Russian Asylum Seekers
Unlike North Koreans, Russians are obviously not seen as any sort of victims by the majority of Westerns. There are obvious (and not so much) reasons why this is the case, but most of them are unjust. I’m going to prove that.
A Russian Perspective on North Korea
Let me talk about the North Korean regime from a Russian perspective first. Everyone knows that it’s a depressive country, whose citizens suffer under a brutal dictatorship. There’s no doubt about that, especially if you are old enough to remember the USSR (or God forbid had to live there). I was born in the USSR myself, and although I was only 6 when it collapsed, I do remember the atmosphere. My mom told me stories about her mother, who was subjected to force labour on false accusations. She also told me about her grandma, who happened to live through all of the USSR period. It’s more than enough for me to understand what North Koreans are going through in their daily lives.
Life Behind the Iron Curtain: Soviet Union vs. North Korea
Not that many people in the West can picture what life is like behind the iron curtain from the comfort of their safe countries. There are a lot of similarities between the old Soviet Union and North Korea, judging by rare videos smuggled to the West. Life is especially miserable for the poor, who don’t have access to basic necessities like food or electricity. Obviously, most people there do understand that it’s not normal, but can’t really change anything because the price of disagreeing is labour camps (aka Gulag in the USSR) or even death. It doesn’t look like any kind of opposition is possible in such a tyrannical regime, everyone lives in constant fear of repression.
The Asylum Lottery: North Korean Defectors
Some people manage to escape North Korea, risking their lives in the process. Knowing that if they do escape, they will be granted political asylum with no questions. If they manage to escape, that’s it. They won’t have to prove anything to anyone. Mission accomplished. Everyone feels for them and no government (except for China or Russia probably) would deport them back to North Korea, knowing it would mean a death sentence. Don’t get me wrong, I feel for them myself, and I do believe that they must be helped and given asylum. Life is precious and no one deserves to waste it in a horrible place where you didn’t choose to be born.
Russian Refugees and the Asylum Lottery
So, North Koreans obviously deserve compassion and need help but what about Russians? Yes, I’m talking about the “orcs from Mordor”, as some Westerners media portray us. Are we even human beings? Now, you might say that we are all complicit because we’ve been electing Putin for more than two decades. The thing is; Putin, basically, elects himself. Those who are actively against the regime are threatened, beaten, imprisoned, poisoned, killed (you name it).
New Repression Tactics in Russia
There’s even a new brilliant move from the government. Protesters against the war are sent to the war they oppose, or face at least 5 years in prison. Military draft notices are handed by the police during protests. Obviously, not everyone is willing to risk their lives, therefore many young men have decided to leave Russia. I’m a lucky one who left Russia before Putin’s “partial mobilization” not even seeing it coming.
When Nationality Determines Your Freedom
I had found a job in Slovakia and was about to leave Russia. It was long before the war started, but with a lot of bureaucracy involved, it took forever. When I was about to apply for a work visa, Putin declared his ‘SMO’. I immediately understood that it was over for me, but decided to try anyway. In the Slovakian embassy everyone was rude to me, and it looked like they were trying to find an excuse to not even consider my application. In the end, they found one. They said something like my job offer was not legit because the date for checking in at my hotel (provided by the employer) wasn’t precise or something like that.
Facing Discrimination: Visa Rejections
I contacted my employer, and they said that the embassy staff was talking 🐂 s.. t. Everything was in order with my contract. They told me to apply one more time and sent me a new contract where they changed the dates, just in case. After one week, I got another appointment at the embassy. This time they had to accept my application because there was literally nothing wrong with it. Someone from Slovakia (my employer’s representative I believe) had called them before and told them off for misleading me. I got a copy of his email in Slovakian to the embassy so I knew they would be mad.
Just as I expected. they were even more rude than before, so I decided to tell them that I was against the war and never voted for Putin. One staff member (a Slovakian woman) looked at me with compassion this time and said: “I wish you good luck”. From the tone of her voice, I guessed she knew I wouldn’t get a visa. Sure enough, one week later I was denied my visa with some vague explanation in Slovakian.
Life in Thailand and Further Attempts
My employer’s representative (a Ukrainian guy, by the way) was furious and told me to make an appeal, but I had already given up on the West. I just knew that from then on, I wouldn’t get any visa in Western countries and decided to focus on the East instead. Two weeks later I was flying out of Russia in the opposite direction leaving everything and everyone behind.
It’s been more than two years in Thailand, and I really enjoy this incredibly beautiful and friendly country. I did try one more time to find a job in the West (US this time), knowing that it was a dead case. Sure enough, my application was declined. I applied for a job as a PE teacher after my Filipino friends told me that the US desperately needs experienced teachers. I’ve got an educational degree in PE and a lot of experience, so I decided to try. Just in case, since Filipinos with less experience were offered jobs with no problems. The agency I applied through, didn’t even specify the reason for not proceeding with my application, but it was obvious, wasn’t it?
Confronting the Unequal Treatment
As you can see now, North Koreans and Russians are not treated equally by any means. Being Russian brings only problems nowadays. Even if you belong to an ethnic minority in Russia (and I do), which is targeted disproportionately by the military draft. Even if you publicly denounce Putin and his war. It’s never enough if you are Russian, no one cares about your struggles. There’s zero chance for Russians to win the Western asylum lottery. Too many Westerners from the safety of their countries demand you to go back to Russia and start a revolution. You just need to overthrow the bloody dictator on your own.
Final Thoughts on the Asylum Lottery
Too many naive fools think that they are heroes, and if they lived in Russia or North Korea, they would fight for freedom till the end, not afraid to sacrifice their lives if needed. The sad truth is; most people aren’t heroes, most of us just want to live our lives peacefully in a safe country. When faced with atrocities of a bloody regime, most of us choose to leave. Corrupted politicians divide us into tribes and make us hate one another to get more power. They never send their sons to fight the wars they start though.
It’s up to us not to buy their crap and realize that we are more similar than different, every life is equally precious. If you ever find yourself feeling like judging a group of people based on their race, religion or nationality, please stop for a moment. Remember that hate always brings more hate and love brings more love, you reap what you sow.
