The human security situation in North Korea is generally poor, with food security being a primary issue, resulting in a large number of migrants from the country. For those migrants who enter China,food security is somewhat improved, although at the cost of overall insecurity in one’s everyday life. For those who enter South Korea, many problems are relieved, though new problems arise. Various agencies have implemented often-conflicting plans based around the central discourse of “human rights” to address the issue of North Korean migrants. However, the concept of human security seems equally appropriate. If the many stakeholders and agents involved share the responsibility for the larger purpose of building cooperative governance, placing importance on the North Korean migrants themselves for the ultimate goal of understanding the threat and suffering they have experienced, it will allow for a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the issue, and improve North Korean migrants’ human security in a more substantial and meaningful way.