ABSTRACT This article draws on the public testimonies of North Koreans living in South Korea (t’albungmin) and analyzes the role that these narratives play in South Korean society as mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion. North and South Korea technically remain at war, with South Korea claiming sovereignty over the entire Korean peninsula. While t’albungmin are eligible for South Korean citizenship, they describe feeling excluded from full social membership. Although some t’albungmin seek anonymity, this paper considers those who gain social status by speaking publicly about their lives and denouncing the North Korean regime. In so doing, they distance themselves from North Korea and align themselves with the “good” discourse of human rights. However, their actions reinforce a logic of exclusion, implying that t’albungmin who prefer anonymity are “sympathizers” of the North and consequently restricting their access to social benefits and resources. This case of conditional inclusion illuminates tensions that arise when a sovereignty claim entails the incorporation of people from an enemy state. It also highlights the carefully delineated boundaries of publicly acceptable behavior within which “suspect” citizens must remain as a condition for positive recognition.

中文翻译：

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朝鲜人的公开叙述和有条件地融入韩国

摘要 本文借鉴了生活在韩国的朝鲜人 (t'albungmin) 的公开证词，并分析了这些叙述作为包容和排斥机制在韩国社会中所扮演的角色。朝鲜和韩国在技术上仍处于战争状态，韩国声称对整个朝鲜半岛拥有主权。虽然 t'albungmin 有资格获得韩国公民身份，但他们描述了被排除在完整社会成员之外的感觉。尽管一些 t'albungmin 寻求匿名，但本文考虑了那些通过公开谈论自己的生活和谴责朝鲜政权而获得社会地位的人。通过这样做，他们与朝鲜保持距离，并与人权的“好”话语保持一致。然而，他们的行为强化了一种排斥的逻辑，暗示喜欢匿名的 t'albungmin 是北方的“同情者”，因此限制了他们获得社会福利和资源的机会。这种有条件包容的案例说明了当主权要求需要将敌国人民纳入其中时出现的紧张局势。它还强调了仔细划定的公众可接受行为的界限，“可疑”公民必须在该界限内作为获得积极认可的条件。