As China cracks down on North Korean defectors, this 101 East exclusive follows two families' desperate search for freedom.
China is expelling record numbers of North Korean defectors, instilling fear and desperation in this vulnerable community. In October 2023, 600 North Koreans were forcibly deported in the largest repatriation in years. Human rights groups say the defectors, who North Korea calls “traitors” and “criminals”, have disappeared since their return, and warn they may face imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, and even execution.
101 East has exclusive access inside this secretive world, where defectors share harrowing stories of survival, human trafficking and their fragile dreams of finding a safe haven.
Published on Thursday 01 August 2024.
101 East reports on the people and events shaping the Asia Pacific region. Bold, untold stories from across Asia and the Pacific. Al Jazeera’s in-depth, weekly current affairs programme from the world’s most populated region.