Name: How Would You Escape North Korea? (The 7 Choices)
Uploaded: 2017-04-18T18:40:47.000Z
Duration: 15 min 58 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

If you were living in North Korea right now, starving, dirt poor

trying to survive on a diet of rats, grass, soil and tree bark

quenching your thirst by drinking out of mud puddles in the ground.

Oh, and there's also the conceivable chance of being sent to a political prison camp

for years on end just because you innocently thought out loud one day to a bunch of friends

where you are then beaten, tortured, and left so hungry that you are forced to dig and consume

the grains out of faeces, or the maggots from dead bodies

just so you have the energy to perhaps last one more day.

The North Korean government refuses to let its citizens leave,

a clear violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

viewing escapees as traitorous criminals, who, if caught,

would be subject to unimaginable torture and often public executions.

If they are successful in their escape, then three to four generations of their family back home

would be sent to prison camps, to rot ... or worse.

But this still doesn't stop desperate North Koreans from tempting fate.

In this video, I'll go over the seven ways to escape North Korea,

including the most dangerous, the most unforgiving, the most unique, and the most unexpected.

We'll start with what seems the most obvious choice, crossing the Korean DMZ

that's the Korean demilitarised zone that separates North and South Korea.

Those who know little about Korea might think: Why not just cross here? (Bad idea)

The 250 km DMZ is the most heavily, militarised border in the world,

guarded by almost two million troops on both sides.

If you try to escape this way, you're likely to either step on a landmine, get electrocuted,

This is the most dangerous way to escape North Korea.

Under these conditions, civilians just about never make it across safely, and that's why

almost all successful DMZ crossings are from North Korean soldiers who were, actually,

This is not the route to take for the average North Korean.

But perhaps traveling by sea, is a more acceptable option.

In the last 40 years, some North Korean families have attempted to make the journey by boat

With no passport, visa or money, South Korea is the most logical destination,

as the South Korean government welcomes all North Korean refugees with open arms

It's the easiest way to overall safety and security.

Now, if you're escaping by sea, you can either leave from the west coast or the east coast.

If you leave from somewhere here, it is geographically and navigationally easier

but since the government is well aware of that, you're likely to be caught by their naval patrols.

A safer one perhaps, further out to sea... except it's not really safer.

The seas are unpredictable and many things can go wrong.

Remember, you're dirt poor and you're probably on a small, flimsy boat with no real navigational equipment

The current could take you back to North Korea

or you could end up in China, perhaps equally as bad.

North Korean defectors are considered illegal economic migrants in China, and with the two

countries being allies, those captured would be repatriated back to a life of horror.

So maybe try departing from the east coast.

Here, the conditions are more dangerous in a way, but unlike the west coast

if you drift too far, you'll reach the safety of Japan, and the Japanese are not going to send you

To avoid being spotted by North Korean patrols, you can always try swimming to South Korea.

Not really recommended as you'll probably freeze or drown, but if you're a strong swimmer,

Now, the next three all start off the same way, by crossing the northern border into China

It's less risky than the DMZ, but that's like saying Kim Jong-il is less cruel than Kim Jong-un.

Nonetheless, up here you have the choice of crossing either the Yalu River or the Tumen River

this is the border between North Korea and China.

The Tumen river is the more popular route as it is generally an easier crossing point.

But even so, most don't make it across alive.

Dead bodies are often seen floating downstream.

North Korean border patrol also maintain a significant presence in the area.

Guards will shoot you at will if they see you escaping, and many even hide underground

pointing their guns upwards through holes, waiting for the opportune time to surprise you

Now if you make it to China without dying or being caught, life doesn't get much easier.

We already know that the Chinese authorities can arrest you and send you back at any time,

but there's also the chance of being kidnapped for human trafficking.

Many North Korean escapees get caught up in this black market trade, men are sold as slaves,

and women are often forced into prostitution.

Or if lucky, they'd be sold as wives to Chinese villagers living deep in the countryside.

I say lucky because many women in this situation actually consider themselves fortunate

There's now a roof over their head and food on the table, an upgrade from life in North Korea.

Those who aren't trafficked have to adapt to life in the slums and on the run.

They can't get a job legally and there's no medical care.

It's quite possible that if you get sick or injured, you just die on the streets.

Not surprisingly, for many escapees, China isn't supposed to be the endgame.

South Korea is still the intended destination for the reasons I've already mentioned.

So, if possible, it would seem to make sense to head to the South Korean embassy to seek asylum

or the office of the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, both in Beijing.

The Chinese police often stake out the South Korean embassy and the UNHCR office

likely to arrest any North Koreans before they even make it in.

If you are lucky enough to get in, yes the Chinese can't get you, as there's immunity within the embassy

Even if South Korea approves your defection, you're going to have to leave the embassy at some point

So you're still going to have to set foot in China, and that's when Chinese authorities

You don't want to end up in a situation like Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks,

who's now trapped indefinitely at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Because of this, the next best option is to somehow make your way to a third country,