North Korea has come into the spotlight many times, not for any inventions or other usual reasons but for the increasing number of North Koreans leaving the country and the curious story shared by the defectors. North Korea is found to be experiencing multiple challenges, including food shortages, hunger, poor human rights record, political turbulence, and economic uncertainty. For these reasons, several people started to leave the country in the mid-1990s and chose third countries, especially South Korea, China, and the US, for living.
| Year | Number of North Korean defectors |
| 2014 | 1397 |
| 2015 | 1275 |
| 2016 | 1418 |
| 2017 | 1127 |
| 2018 | 1137 |
| 2019 | 1047 |
| 2020 | 229 |
| 2021 | 63 |
| 2022 | 67 |
| 2023 | 196 |
| 2024 (till September) | 181 |
As per the Unification Ministry data, as of September, around 181 North Korean defectors have been seen to arrive in South Korea in 2024. The total number of defectors from North Korea entering South Korea till September 2024 is approximately 34259. However, the strengthening of border control by the government during the pandemic has led to a significant decrease in escaping from the country. The majority of the escapees from this country who have arrived in South Korea are women. Among 34259 escapees, around 72 per cent (24695) are female, while the remaining 9564 are male.
An American documentary film titled Beyond Utopia was also made in 2023. The documentary reveals the story of several families who attempted to leave North Korea. The documentary which was directed by Madeleine Gavin, was featured in the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. During the transit, several women have also become the victim of human trafficking. These incidents come into the headlines after the experience told by many North Korean defectors. In this regard, Harry and his mother’s story can be highlighted as they escaped from North Korea to South Korea.
Curious tale of Harry and his mother regarding their tragic escape from North Korea
The story revolves around Harry, a North Korean schoolboy who used to live a normal life with his mother and older sister in the country. The town in which he lived was a mountainside area. Harry often used to hike up in the mountains with his friends during the right season in search of fresh fruit like pears because there was huge availability of fresh fruits in the mountain area while it was a luxury in the country to think about fresh fruit. However, it was no less than a heist movie to collect fresh fruit from the mountain areas by avoiding and escaping from the guards.
After a few years of living this lifestyle, Harry did not think that he had to escape not only from the guards in the mountain area but also from his native country. Harry’s mother was involved with a risky job in which she had to cross the border to connect the North Korean families to China. The guards were given bribes by Harry’s mother in order to safely cross the border. This was the source of income for Harry’s family to live a comfortable life. However, one day, due to being exposed, Harry’s mother had to spend her life in a brutal prison camp in North Korea.
Spending life in prison has been proven to be so difficult for Harry’s mother because apart from doing hard work every day and living with 50 other prisoners in the concrete cell, she did not have access to sufficient food and many other basic things such as sanitary products, toilet paper as well as soap. Moreover, like many other prisoners, she had to become the victim of physical harassment by the abuse of the guard’s power. They also did not have the option of dying or suicide in the prisons, as this can lead to the transfer of their crime to their family members.
After getting freedom from the prison camp after two years, Harry’s mother decided to leave the work she previously used to do and accordingly informed her clients regarding her decision. But she again became involved in the difficulties because of the complication created by one of her clients who was an old South Korean fisherman.
The old man was not able to return home because of the loss of his boat due to the typhoon and restrictions imposed by the North Korean authorities to send him to his native home. Harry’s mother was forced by the old men to help him to cross the border otherwise, she could face significant challenges from the old men. Therefore, Harry, his mother, and the old men meet with a broker across the North Korean border, but the negotiation for the place and price is not successfully completed.
After a few days, the police were able to find out their plan for them and spread their photos everywhere to catch them. However, they somehow went to China and waited for a few days in the mountains for the brokers. After getting no help from the brokers, they decided to go to a nearby village where a resident introduced them to another broker. Hence, with the help of the broker’s connection with the South Korean authorities, the old man successfully returned to his home. Then Harry, with his mother, shifted to his middle sister, who had been living in China since her birth.
Harry, as her mother, has taken her to a friend in China because of providing a better lifestyle. However, she also became a victim of trafficking and gave birth to a baby at the age of 13. This destroyed the teenage life of Harry’s middle sister, and therefore, the reunion with Harry and her mother was a joyful moment for all of them. After spending a few sweet moments with her middle sister, Harry and his mother got in contact with a new broker who helped them to escape to South Korea for a lifetime.
A few days later, Harry’s mother comes to know that North Korean authorities are threatening her older daughter because of having connections with them and taking the blame on her family. It has become difficult for Harry to adapt to South Korea’s culture, language, and other cultural differences. Nevertheless, he started to learn the cultural elements of South Korea and placed emphasis on making new friends.
However in the initial days, Harry decided his real identity and story from his new friends. After eliminating his fear, one day he revealed his real stories but noticed that his friends were curious to know his tales. After completing higher studies in South Korea, Harry joined in a work and became self-dependent.
Now, he has access to sufficient fresh foods while he has the freedom to shape his lifestyle as he wants. Harry’s middle sister also came to them after a few days and started living a normal life. However, the hope to meet his older sister will remain forever. This is the story of not only Harry and his mother but it is the tale of several people who escaped from North Korea.
FAQ
1. Why do people escape from North Korea?
North Korea is found to be experiencing multiple challenges, including food shortages, hunger, poor human rights records, political turbulence, and economic uncertainty, which led the people to make escape plans.
2. What was the impact of the pandemic on North Korean defectors?
The strengthening of border control by the government during the pandemic has led to a significant decrease in escaping from North Korea.
3. What percentage of North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea are women?
Among 34,259 escapees, around 72 percent (24,695) are female, while the remaining 9,564 are male.
4. What challenges did Harry’s mother face in the prison camp?
Spending life in prison has been proven to be so difficult for Harry’s mother because apart from doing hard work every day and living with 50 other prisoners in the concrete cell, she did not have access to sufficient food and many other basic things such as sanitary products, toilet paper as well as soap. Moreover, like many other prisoners, she had to become the victim of physical harassment by the abuse of the guard’s power.
5. What is the documentary Beyond Utopia about?
The documentary film reveals the story of several families who attempted to leave North Korea.
