Why North Korea is the Hardest Country to Escape

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real-life lore

present-day nation

comparable to North Korea

Quite literally,

21st-century Nazism

Germany's appearance if

endured 1945.

The world's hardest

absolute dictatorship

loyalty is expected.

any hint of disloyalty

The country's dictator can get you

to one of the regime's many

lifelong prisons

expects starvation.

medical slavery

continuous torture and random

execution based on guards

feel like doing you

human rights or due process

north korea and hundreds of thousands

right now

these camps living this hell daily

It's happening today.

live while watching this

video and my voice

if you were one of them

trapped in reality

nightmare you want to flee

North Korea is a problem.

world's most

difficult country to flee

North Korea doesn't

avoid the penalty for even

Treason is leaving the country.

camps and often death

even if you escape

North Korea tends to

pursuing your relatives

remained, your spouse

children, parents, and

grandparents can be taken

to lifelong horror in one of the

camps if they didn't escape.

This deters many.

to control them

understandably but frustratingly

If you're leaving,

despite risks

the few ways

Sadly, you could.

None are simple.

their own geographical challenges

to cover the obvious

Escape to South Korea

North Korea's polar opposite

a prosperous liberal democracy south

Korean law governs

whole Korean peninsula

recognizes 26 million

NK citizens

If you can make it,

guaranteed citizenship

future and are clear

but moving this short distance from

a peninsula's north side

south side is most likely

human can take

21st-century walk

southernmost is

it's physically impossible

the most militarized place

it covers the planet

razor wire walls

defended by millions of landmines

live-fire soldiers

orders to kill

anyone crazy enough to try

getting across an escape through here

may be fastest, but it's also the

your odds of

despite low success, many

still succeeded

North Korean man drove car in 2017.

until the military demarcation

line between the nations at the

border and crashed.

ran across the border in hail

northern machine gun fire

Korean border guards collapsed

South Korea behind a wall

He was shot five times before rescue.

times and lost half his blood during

quick attempt but he succeeded

live in the south

most thought escaping directly

This is too far south.

dangerous, so they'll find alternatives

NK's southern border

hardly escapeable

East and west are

covered in ocean that present their own

buying a boat and fleeing

Since most north

Poor Koreans

Boats can't be bought.

even if you had money

most people leave simply

swimming to Korea

drowning or being caught

2016 North Korean patrol boats

chul yun-li, a

North Korean official

state security ministry decided

deceive a friend this way

They bought a motorcycle together.

tire and food.

approximately here in the

west behind the Dmz after sunset

after sunset.

swam furiously

unnoticed the air pump

failed and they had to

abandon the tire and use their

backpacks for flotation

they swam

for over four hours

dark until an unidentified boat appeared.

fearful of approaching

North Korean patrol

frantically swam to this tiny island

here until the boat left.

but it was cold autumn.

months in Korea and wet.

few clothes found

insulating garbage

rested and

They found some after sunrise.

tied-together wooden pallets

into a raft

garbage and styrofoam

paddled out again.

hands and floating with tide

Luckily they hadn't

realized they were already

south korean

border, South Korean ships quickly

saw them and approached

rescue was successful but many

most haven't.

directly reaching South Korea

swimming or running the dmz

around it will kill or

capture for southbound leaves

Korea indirectly via third party

three other nations

North Korea is near South Korea.

that you can flee but none of

if you can,

Japan is your best bet.

you'll be free

sent to South Korea but you must make

first across the Japan Sea.

often causes harm

typhoons and ideally

probably nothing better

than a small boat, so

only three successful

NK defectors

direct shipment to Japan

likely better to look

instead up north the border is

less guarded

easier to cross.

than the south but requires

entering China or Russia

neither are very good

good options Russia's border

only 17 kilometers wide along

two-man river, easily patrolled

even if you succeed

Russia's state policy

all North Koreans

refugees to North Korea anyway

You're North Korean.

hypothetically stand out here

You could appease South Korea.

consulate in Vladivostok.

freedom but rising

unnoticed by Russian police

almost impossible, so

escaping to china

popular and safer option

border is crossed

1300 kilometers long.

yalu, two men rivers

remote mountainous and rugged

border patrols

This area is mostly light and

best months to escape

In summer, the river's

during the lowest depths

winter when they're frozen

letting you run into

china's easy to enter

China isn't your new home.

China isn't safe forever.

China follows Russia's approach.

deport all North Koreans

defectors return north korea

where you'll likely encounter

though gruesome

China's border provinces

Like yanbian,

ethnic minorities

naturalized Chinese meaning

that hiding here is easy

evade the

while you plan

next steps if you hire a

foreign broker for escape

They can cost $18,000.

their services a fortune

the average north

Koreans make only $1300 per year.

over 10 years of average

North Koreans pay if you're rich.

means a broker may work but

if not,

proceed to

Shenyang is closest to South Korea.

china consulate building

if you can get here and inside

building you'll likely be in

safe but 200 kilometers

far from North Korea

guards its perimeter.

chinese police

It's game time.

In 2004, 44 North Koreans

defectors stormed Canadian

Embassy in Beijing immediately dressed

to avoid any

ladders to scale the

walls and reached safety

Since then, China

boosted their police and

foreigners security

diplomatic missions

south Korean ones.

would be much harder.

likely need to get yourself

China to another nation

that's more understanding

issue, but

China's huge and few

countries nearby that will assist

Russia will deport you

if caught in North Korea

Vietnam Laos Myanmar

keep Pyongyang close

like China or Russia

You'll likely be deported to

if caught by North Korea.

entering India, Bhutan, or Nepal

Pakistan needs hiking.

Himalayan mountains

eliminates any easy options

thus leaving only

two friendly, realistic neighbors

escape to Mongolia or

Thailand-Mongolia is closer.

and this government cares

to North Korean defectors

If you arrive, they'll deport you.

instead of north Korea.

surrender upon arrival.

only to the Mongol police

The issue is getting here.

pass the formidable

cold, hostile Gobi Desert

world's largest desert

dangerous deserts

wildlife harsh conditions

survival resources

through the desert requires skill.

that's unlikely.

learned in North Korea but

but some have succeeded.

2007 parkionmi and her mother escaped.

through China's northern border

crossing the frozen two-men river

China's deportation policy

unable to find any

chinese legal work

Human traffickers victimized them.

after months undercover

they arrived.

Qingdao and found

Christian missionary shelter

after nearly two years

concealing themselves in China

enough missionary aid

activists to finally

gamble and run uphill

Mongolia to get

deported to South Korea and freedom

awe-inspiring mother-daughter

successfully navigated

the Gobi Desert to Mongolia

border but a group arrived

Mongolian border guards stopped them.

and threatened deportation

bordering China

deportation back

North Korea's camps

Both drew knives and promised.

they'd commit suicide immediately

if the guards did that.

Sadly, death is often better.

North Korean defectors

being sent home and

camps fortunately the guards

pity and returned them to custody

before flying.

today to Seoul.

New York-based Yeonmi Park

she talks on YouTube

candidly about her life

North Koreans

captivating and recommended

her channel if you're interested

curious, so

link to her channel below

navigating below

through the Gobi is difficult.

most believed that

Trains and buses are popular.

bus undercover across china and try

escaping to Thailand

northernmost five train stations

china-Korean border

china's massive high-speed rail network

if you have money and

ability to conceal

These stations allow boarding.

exit near Mongolia.

run across or leave here

Yunnan's kunming

bus or run from there

Thailand has many

Kunming-to-other buses

southeast Asian nations but

Problem is, even if you do,

escape unnoticed

by any train authority

China and Thailand don't share a bus.

border means you'll

cross the rugged and

Yunnan's mountains

province then traverse the remote

dangerous Laos or Myanmar jungles

crossing the

dangerous Mekong river to get

2017 safety

park hyun-woo's father and

Both fled North Korea.

Park's sisters had reached

freedom in the south and secretly

sending money back up in the

after enlisting a

china broker

they should leave too

February 2017 winter night

Both men crossed the frozen Tumen River.

into China with rat-filled pills

poison for suicide

caught one sister and their

handler awaited

a van to a nearby

Yanji safe house where

they changed clothes there

train to shenyang, then

another train to Zhenzhao followed by

another Beijing train from here

they took a series of buses to kunming

Then the

Chinese authorities found them park

his father fled their bus

park was forced to separate.

walk alone through the thicket

Laos jungles to the

mekong river final obstacle park

crossed and immediately

surrendered to Thai police

who arrested him

surrendered to South Korea

officials flew him back to soul and

however his father was

Chinese police arrested and returned

a prison near North Korea

however the prison

released him after reentering

re-contacted the brokers

re-entering Vietnam

escaped detection and

finally flew to Seoul

He took 1.5 hours.

years over 5000 miles

just to get 400 feet

miles from home

only escape options

average North Korean stranded

nationwide, and they're all tough

desperate but sometimes getting

South Korea doesn't guarantee

in 2002, jin

Gyeongsuk defected.

south married a citizen

south Korean man on their honeymoon

2004 two years later they decided

return to China-North Korea

border for a documentary on

NK's atrocities

Unidentified men kidnapped

shin and pulled her back north.

She was returned to Korea.

concentration camp abused

still executed

legal South Korean resident fleeing

North Korea is never easy.

all these options are

difficult even if you survive

You're still easily dragged.

killed there against your will

countless heroic tales

overcoming the odds

escaped variously and

attracts many to North Korea

outside it is that it's not

history's gruesome accounts

survivors' accounts

you're not listening

something from 1940 that

possible yesterday's cold

war may be over elsewhere

world in 1991 but never ended

Korea's worse now.

than ever before.

Korea's cold war is incredible.

complex, controversial tale

numerous escape attempts

that are too graphic for YouTube

nuclear bomb development

millions who think kim

jong-un is godlike missiles

can now attack the core

US mainland largest

world's chemical weapons

is the fate of tens of

millions of people dangling

balance is definitely one of the

intriguingly violent

controversial 20th century conflicts

and 21st centuries, sadly

acceptable to detail on

due to youtube's terms of service

understand YouTube video creation.

I know this video already has

incredibly likely

demonetized and unpromoted by YouTube

algorithm for my content

discussing but when I start

exploring the entire history

North-south war

korea and south korea

explains why it matters

started fighting and how

all contributed to our current state

guarantee this video's success

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I made another full-length

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