To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
The stories of defectors who fled the brutal North Korean regime are told in a new documentary, which sheds light on the reality of their nerve-shredding journeys to safety.
Beyond Utopia: Escape from North Korea features shocking accounts of hikes across dense jungle and stints at prison camps, told by the people who lived through them.
Some were forced to leave family members behind, and have no way of knowing whether they are still alive – or if they will ever get to see them again.
Among the former North Koreans involved in the film is Soyeon Lee, who escaped the country several years ago with the help of Pastor Kim Seongeun – another prominent figure in Beyond Utopia.
Soyeon, who was part of the North Korean army, was caught the first time she tried to run away and was sent to a prison camp.
She successfully fled two years later, but was not able to bring her 17-year-old son Han Jeong-Cheong along with her.
Along with Pastor Kim, she organises an attempt to get the teenager out, and in a phone call captured in the film can be seen warning him: ‘The journey will be very tough.’
He responds: ‘It’s a journey that leads to you, mother, so I can endure anything.’
Defectors are at serious risk throughout their arduous journey (Picture: Beyond Utopia)
Pastor Kim Seongeun has taken the rescue route himself several times (Picture: Beyond Utopia)
But positive outcomes cannot be guaranteed in such a risky enterprise, and Pastor Kim warns of the dangers of untrustworthy brokers who promise to guide people over the border but end up handing them in to the police.
The Chinese government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s most powerful ally, will offer the brokers six months’ wages to give up the defectors, he says.
For years, Pastor Kim’s Caleb Mission Church in the South Korean capital Seoul has operated as a sort of underground railroad for organising defections.
The trip from North Korea to South Korea, the safest destination for those fleeing the regime, is not as simple as it may appear at first.
Soyeon Lee is shown trying to organise her teenage son’s escape (Picture: Beyond Utopia)
People must leave over the northern border due to the extremely heavy security preventing escapes over the southern border.
From there, they must get out of China without arousing the suspicion of the police and make their way to Thailand, which offers a resettlement route to South Korea.
Once there, the country’s constitution states that North Koreans are also citizens of South Korea, meaning it isn’t long before they can start getting used to their new home.
Director Madeleine Gavin’s film, which is nominated for a BAFTA in the best documentary category, also highlights the story of Roh family of five.
The Roh family have to trek through dangerous territory to reach safety (Picture: Beyond Utopia)
Parts of their defection journey was captured on camera – including the terrifying moment they trekked through the jungle while military police dogs can be heard barking behind them.
At a safe house along their route, Pastor Kim leads them in a prayer, saying: ‘We pray to Jesus Christ that you won’t let go of the string of hope until we reach our destination.’
Beyond Utopia: Escape from North Korea can be watched on BBC iPlayer under the Storyville strand.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.