Transnational Lives of Undocumented Migrant Children: Re-Turn and Resettlement Across the Korea–Vietnam Corridor

This paper examines the transnational lives of undocumented migrant children born to Vietnamese labour migrants in South Korea who are subsequently compelled—or choose—to “re-turn” to Vietnam, a country many have never known. Drawing on an integrative review of existing scholarship on Korean immigration policy, Vietnamese transnational migration, and child welfare frameworks, the study analyses three interrelated dimensions: the structural conditions producing undocumented childhoods in Korea; the legal and social precarity accompanying re-turn; and the resettlement challenges encountered in Vietnam. The findings reveal a critical protection chasm at the intersection of Korean immigration enforcement, Vietnam’s limited resettlement infrastructure, and the absence of a bilateral child-welfare protocol. Children who are born and raised in Korea typically lack Korean citizenship, Vietnamese registration, or any meaningful state protection in either country. Their re-turn is rarely voluntary, and their resettlement in Vietnam is characterised by linguistic estrangement, educational marginalisation, and ambiguous legal identity. The paper argues that addressing these transnational harms requires a Korea–Vietnam policy framework grounded in the best interests of the child, incorporating bilateral birth registration arrangements, conditional regularisation pathways, and coordinated resettlement support. The study contributes to wider debates on child-centred migration governance in East and Southeast Asia.