real reason north korea won't let its people leave

Famine. Brainwashing of your friends, family, and children. Harsh laws that could land you and your loved ones in labor camps or, worse, lead to public execution for minor infractions like listening to foreign music. For many North Koreans, the oppressive conditions are unbearable. Desperate to escape, a few brave souls risk everything to flee Kim Jong Un’s regime and start anew in other countries. However, the number of successful defectors has been dwindling since 2005. According to Statista, 1,384 North Koreans defected that year. The numbers peaked at 2,914 in 2009 but have since declined, with just 1,047 escapes in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation, as North Korea sealed its borders completely. Only 229 people escaped in 2020, and 63 in 2021. By 2022, just 67 people made it out, though 2023 saw a slight uptick, with 319 defections by September.

One of the 2023 escapees, Mr. Kim, pulled off a daring sea escape with his mother, his brother’s family, and his pregnant wife. In a BBC interview, Mr. Kim described the extreme suffering in North Korea during the pandemic. The state imposed harsh lockdowns, spreading fear with images of COVID-19 deaths and stringent rules. Armed guards would quarantine entire towns, leaving residents without food. The government exploited these quarantines to exert control, claiming to sell food cheaply but really breaking people's spirits. Mr. Kim began to question the state’s intentions and the severity of the pandemic.

With food supplies dwindling due to closed borders, starvation became rampant. Kim, a black-market seller, managed to provide for his family but lived in constant fear of being reported to authorities. The tragic suicide of a friend, unable to obtain a divorce without being sent to a labor camp, pushed Kim to plan his escape. He convinced his brother, also struggling under state restrictions, to join him. The brothers spent months meticulously planning, choosing to escape by sea from the southwest coast.

Kim’s brother joined a military scheme to gain permission to fish in restricted waters, while Kim befriended security guards to learn their patrol patterns. Despite the risks, Kim persuaded his reluctant mother and pregnant wife to join him. He even cremated his father's remains to protect them from desecration by the state. On May 6, with a sea warning and low tide providing cover, the family navigated a minefield to reach the boat. They used rocks and reefs to hide from radar systems and, after a tense chase by a North Korean ship, crossed into South Korean waters.

After a brief detention and interrogation by South Korean authorities to confirm their status as defectors, the family was placed in a resettlement facility. They moved into an apartment in October 2024, just in time for the birth of Kim’s child. Adapting to life in South Korea, Kim feels like he’s been born a second time, marveling at sights like airplanes, which he had never seen in North Korea. He hopes to become a ship’s navigator, thanks to job fairs for defectors.

Mr. Kim’s story exemplifies the perilous journey many North Korean defectors face. With traditional escape routes to China cut off, the sea remains the only viable option, requiring meticulous planning and immense bravery. In 2023, several defectors followed Kim’s blueprint, braving dangerous waters to reach South Korea. However, increased cooperation between China and North Korea has made escape via China almost impossible, as many defectors are repatriated and face severe punishment.

Defectors now face a grim choice: risk the treacherous sea route, attempt to covertly live in China, or use China as a step towards South Korea. Despite the challenges, over 300 North Koreans made these perilous journeys in 2023. Will more follow in 2024, or will Kim Jong Un and China tighten their grip even further? Only time will tell. What do you think of Mr. Kim’s story and the future of North Korean defections? Will more people attempt this dangerous journey, or will the regime clamp down harder to prevent escapes?