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Behind the Stories of Refugees
AND WHY THEIR STRUGGLES DON'T END AT THE BORDER
WHY SO MANY REFUGEES CHOOSE TO ESCAPE
The situation in North Korea has worsened due to the centrally planned economy and heavy international isolation.
Living conditions in the country are dire. The lack of a steady food supply has resulted in a humanitarian crisis without parallel in the world:
1 out of 3 North Koreans were malnourished in 2016
1 out of 5 children under the age of 5 in North Korea were underweight in 2009.
THE ESCAPE
DANGER LIES AT EVERY TURN
“I still remember the underground tunnels headed from China to Mongolia; we sweated during the day and shivered during the night but didn’t dare to move. After weeks of travelling we finally arrived at one of the borders. It was midnight and there were searchlights everywhere. The guards changed shifts once in every two hours; we had already paid them but I was still terrified – what if they had changed their minds? What if they decided on a whim that they’d shoot us like they shoot passing animals? We finally crossed the border at 5 in the morning. The 11 people I was traveling with all got captured during our escape from China to Mongolia. I’m the only one here.”
– J. Park (Escaped in 2013)
ARRIVAL IN SOUTH KOREA
They had dreamed of a better life in South Korea, but life in the country was much harder than they expected
“We’ve been born and raised in a country with no food, no capitalism, no democracy. Most of us ended up in a limbo somewhere in China, Mongolia, or other countries for several years – sometimes as sex workers, other times as menial laborers. We came to South Korea with not only hope and willingness to make a better future but also a broken body, a broken mind, guilt, fear, anger, and isolation. It’s been difficult to address these things just by myself.”
– M. Kim. 2008
TOWARDS A NEW START
Despite their troubles we see immense determination, resolve, and most importantly, potential in these refugees.
“Adjusting to the development, the economy, democracy, the different language… It’s all nothing compared to the discrimination. People see us simply as starved, unclothed, uneducated, and uncivilized. Of course they’re partly right – most North Koreans are short of food, clothes, and education. But we’ve risked our lives for a better future. We are willing to work harder than anyone for it.”
– A. Paik. 2014
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