The number of North Korean defectors has been increasing, most notably with the recent report that 20 diplomats, including high ranking army officer, defected to South Korea.  However, not all North Koreans living in South Korea and China or even the United States have a rosy life once they leave.  And some North Koreans find other means for connecting with the South.

Roughly 28,000 North Koreans are living in South Korea.  Most cross through China since rough seas and DMZ considered by former United States President Bill Clinton to be the most dangerous border in the world.  North Korean citizens, defecting–or more straight-forward, escaping–has no shortage of coverage through the media and books.  Typically North Koreans seek to escape, even at the danger of having their entire family sent to a North Korean gulag, across the Yalu (also called Amnok 압록강) river, sometimes with the help of human traffickers.

However, restarting a life, usually alone without knowing the fate of your family, has become trying for North Koreans who face prejudices in South Korea, have severe culture shock anxieties, and sometimes have to take low-paying manual or unskilled labor jobs, earning 66% of what South Koreans earn for the same job.  But, as a CNN interview shows, there are some cases where the decision to leave is a regret.

In this particular case, the reason to leave was to treat a liver disease.  Kim Ryon Hui tried to find care in China, where she assumed it would be fully-covered from medical bills to housing and follow-up treatment as it is in North Korea.  Her “broker” and doctors wanted money upfront, and she even tried to work in a restaurant to pay for it.  However, the costs were too high, especially for a country where the per capita income is between $1000-$2000 USD a year (and probably even that is inflated), or $4 a day, as compared to $20,000 a year in the South Korea.

Mrs. Kim was told she could go to South Korea and earn enough in two months.  But, after unknowingly signing papers renouncing her North Korean citizenship, which is an immigration requirement, she is now trapped without her family or a passport, wishing to go back to her husband and daughter, who were clearly distraught in the interview.  Even though North Korea is estimated to have around 200,000 people in hard labor gulags, they are offering support and amnesty for those who return.  There are definitely a lot more like her.

However, there are better stories.  One fantastic story is about Daniel, now a successful sushi chef in San Francisco, one of nearly 200 North Korean refugees in the US, many of whom have received green cards and went on to give birth to naturalized citizens.

Another must read article is from the New York Times, which reports on the number of North Koreans who receive plastic surgery treatments–anything from scars from cruel punishment to horrific accidents in factories to defectors who have tattoos and therefore find difficulty landing a job due to its assumption that tattoos means mafia.  According to the NY Times, it is part of a plan by the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons “to help defectors from North Korea who are literally scarred by their past.”  Dozens have signed up, which is more humanitarian than the strong government push for medical tourism and a fight against the image of the South Korean plastic surgery norm.

Sadly, many Koreans still remain separated since the armistice in 1953, leaving families separated from siblings still living on the other side of the border, sometimes not actually knowing what happened to the rest of the family, if anyone had survived the war or the Great Famine of the 1990s in North Korea, or if they even were still living.  Both sides allow for occasional reunions, like one earlier this month.  However, not even those go without problems, including this heartbreaking story about a sibling feud still unresolved.

It is estimated that it costs an non-governmental orginization (NGO around $3,000 to help one refugee escape, although some reports say it costs $8,000 just to get a defector to China.  But there are places where people can donate, including the great work done by the Los Angeles-based NGO, Liberty in North Korea fundraising campaign.

For a truly bizarre and incredibly interested story about a U.S. soldier who defected, and still lives, in North Korea, see the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FOcZkKnALA