Draft:North Korean defection methods
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Comment: Unsurprisingly, this has considerable overlap with the article North Korean defectors, and the latter is at least moderately good on the matter of defection methods. There could be an argument for using a separate article (the successor to this draft) for defection methods; but you should make this argument on Talk:North Korean defectors (advertising the discussion on Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Korea in order to draw more participants) and get agreement for it there. Meanwhile, you are (and anyone is) of course welcome to improve this draft. -- Hoary (talk) 21:47, 17 April 2025 (UTC)- Comment: Fixed most of the citations, supplied a new one and the article looks to be in better shape. As for the overlap, I think a dedicated article to explain all of the defection methods would be better. DotesConks (talk) 04:10, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
North Korean defectors employ several tactics in order to defect from North Korea. They also have to choose where they will defect to; most escapees will often go to China and then to Southeast Asia where they are subsequently deported to "Korea", which in the ASEAN countries is South Korea. Escapees that are caught face harsh punishments and are often tortured before then being executed.[1]
By land through China
[edit]
Most escapees escape alone due to brokers demanding large sums of money, as well as boats being a rarity in North Korea.[2] The most often chosen routes begin with escaping from North Korea to China, from where the journey continues to either Mongolia or to Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Laos, or Vietnam.[3] The escape also varies by gender; women who attempt to escape are often sold into sex trafficking, and they are unable to do anything about it because the punishment for reporting or escaping could risk potential deportation to North Korea which would almost always be a death sentence.[4]
In China
[edit]In China, escapees are generally wary and cautious. Defectors are almost always walking, and they only dedicate a few hours to sleep and eating dinner. Defectors avoid using public transport, as the Chinese police conduct random searches which can lead to the discovery of being an illegal. Additionally, North Korean escapees generally do not communicate, as they have a heavy accent which could reveal their status. At the border of the Southeast Asian countries, North Korean defectors who do not have brokers often go through uncharted terrain in the hopes that they will make it to a Southeast Asian country.[5] Taking the route through Mongolia requires defectors to hike through the Gobi Desert, which is an inhospitable wasteland. Defectors who successfully reach Mongolia are deported to South Korea by the Mongolian authorities.
In the destination
[edit]Upon reaching a country that will deport the defectors to South Korea, North Koreans surrender themselves to the police and claim that they are illegal migrants. From there, they are subsequently deported back to "Korea", a designation referring to South Korea as recognized by the deporting authorities.[5]
In South Korea
[edit]By sea
[edit]Sea escapes are unusual in defections, however they have happened. On October 11, 2024 a North Korean man defected by sea to South Korea. The man had a small ship and was spotted and picked up by the South Korean navy. Afterwards, he was interrogated, which is standard procedure to ensure North Korean spies do not infiltrate the country. After the investigation, the authorities believed him and he was sent for post-defection procedures.[6]
Through the DMZ
[edit]The DMZ or Military Demarcation Line, which separates North and South Korea is the most militarized border in the world. Active landmines, soldiers with shoot-to-kill orders, and general inhospitable terrain make escaping through the DMZ the hardest way of defection. However there are still defectors who opted to take this route. One such defector was Oh Chong-Song was a North Korean man who drove a truck through the border and then escaped by foot, crawling over the South Korean border and laid behind a wall for a few hours until the South Korean military picked him up where he then went through post-defection procedures.[7]
With the help of brokers
[edit]North Koreans who are affluent may choose to hire a broker who will assist them through China and into the Southeast Asian countries.[1] The amount of money paid determines the service received. Particularly wealthy North Koreans (the elite) can afford the highest quality brokers which are reported to take planes.[1] Those that are still considerably wealthy but not of elite status can use a private ship to defect, and those who have even less can have brokers that guide them through the journey through China to the Southeast Asian countries.[1] Families of defectors often pay a broker to smuggle the rest of their family out of North Korea and into South Korea. As of 2024, the average cost of defectors was 400,000 Won.[8] In recent years, the amount of defectors has also drastically decreased due to increasing surveillance operations in North Korea and China, as well as the harsh punishments for being a broker.[8]
Phone call
[edit]Frequently, a family member who has defected and wants to take the rest of their family out of North Korea will contact a broker to smuggle a phone into North Korea. From there, after contact is established with the defected family member and the broker, they[who?] will devise a plan to escape. It almost always is the China to Southeast Asia route but the individual path itself varies with the situation in China.[8]
Plan
[edit]Once the plan is executed, a broker will travel to Manchuria and rent out a house. The riskiest part of the operation begins here; the North Korean defector has to escape to China through the border. The border is less regulated than the border with South Korea due to the amicable relations between North Korea and China.[9] If the defector successfully escapes, they will make their way to the safehouse where they will get to rest and eat. From there they will be taken across China. This is often more luxurious than escaping alone as the broker has legal documents and money which they can use to pay for taxis and even use public transport. Brokers have even had dedicated cars for escapees.[10][unreliable source]
Other ways
[edit]There have been defections to South Korea and other "free world" countries that do not fit any of the situations described above. One example is that of Ri Jong-yol, who was a math prodigy. He was selected to compete for North Korea in the International Mathematical Olympiad multiple times. During this time he started to learn about defection from North Korea and the oppressive regime of Kim Jong Un. After finishing in 2nd place in the 2016 Olympiad in Hong Kong, he fled to the South Korean consulate general in China where he stayed for two months before he was permitted to leave on a plane to South Korea.[11]
See also
[edit]- North Korean defectors
- List of North Korean defectors in South Korea
- North Korean Defectors' Day
- North Korea
- Human rights in North Korea
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Kim Seong Min: How Defectors Escape". George W. Bush Presidential Center. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ Poortvliet, Dave (2023-03-23). "Illuminating dark fishing in North Korea". Global Fishing Watch. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ Anonymous. "Leaving North Korea: My Story". Association for Asian Studies. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ "'A lot of punishment, no food, hard work': North Korean defector's fears for sister who will 'die in jail'". Sky News. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ^ a b Kirkpatrick, Melanie (2012). Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia's Underground Railroad. Encounter Books. ISBN 978-1-59403-633-0.
- ^ Bremer, Ifang; Park, Joon Ha (2024-10-11). "North Korean defected to South by sea last month, Seoul belatedly reveals". NK News - North Korea News. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ "North Korean soldier crosses militarised border to defect to South – report". The Guardian. 2024-08-20. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ a b c Choi, Jungmin (2024-01-30). "Secret calls and code names: The risky business of sending money to N Korea". BBC. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ Choe, Sang-Hun (2023-07-09). "For North Koreans in China, Seeking Freedom Is More Perilous Than Ever". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ Zanon, Daniele (2024-05-07). Escape from North Korea. Infinito Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-6861-774-5.
- ^ Huang, Kristin (2017-02-26). "How North Korean maths-whizz defector escaped through Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
Further reading
[edit]- Phillips, Craig. "What happens to your family when you escape North Korea, and other harrowing tales from Beyond Utopia". Independent Lens. Retrieved 2025-04-04.