Across Land, Across Sea : Defecting From North Korea

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Summary

As is the case for an estimated 20,000 defectors who have built or are trying to build new lives in the South, Songgook is attempting to secure his entire family's freedom by arranging their defect...

As is the case for an estimated 20,000 defectors who have built or are trying to build new lives in the South, Songgook is attempting to secure his entire family's freedom by arranging their defection. This phenomenon has been coined the "chain of escapes." His plan is a dangerous one; make a night time trek to the Tumen River, a border zone between China and North Korea and illegally smuggle his family out of China by boat into the international waters between China and Korea. It is in the safety of international waters where he plans to hand over his family to a South Korean registered boat. Once his family is safely transferred, Songgook plans to return to China where he will then legally re-enter South Korea by plane. Because of the extreme dangers associated with this journey, this kind of escape is very rare. This is the first ever to be documented on video.

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