Recently, my mom showed me a shocking video—a short documentary film about a North Korean family risking their lives to escape through Southeast Asia and reach South Korea. The title was “Beyond Utopia.” The film mainly follows on two narratives. First, 5 family members: a grandmother, parents, and their two children, escaping North Korea. Second, Soyeon, a defector living in Seoul who strives to reunite with her son. Assisting them is Pastor Kim, and thanks to his help the first family manages to escape to Thailand and then South Korea, but Soyeon’s son was caught in China and was detained in a North Korean gulag, where conditions are harsh and survival rates are low.
It’s hard to believe that a country like this exists right next to us.
I looked into it and found out that over 30,000 North Korean defectors have made it to South Korea. If they get caught while crossing the border, they are sentenced to death—so how many people must have died trying? If they’re caught on their way to South Korea, even their families back in North Korea are sent to labor camps.
These people are literally risking death to escape.
When they arrive in South Korea, what kind of help can we offer them?
How are North Korean defectors living here now?
While researching, I came across a special alternative school for North Korean defector children. Many of these kids struggle to adapt to life in South Korea, so they attend these alternative schools. I checked their website, and they were looking for volunteers. Maybe this is something I can be a part of.