Hello YouTube! Imagine living in one of the worst dictatorships this world has ever seen: rigged elections, great censorship that you don't know what's going on in the world, not even in your own country the State has been brainwashing you since young school to make you believe that your life in this country is the best and that out there is horrible Basically everything needs to be authorized from visiting another city to moving homes, you need a permit even haircuts have a chart that you need to follow You don't have electricity or if you do, it doesn't
work all day In some places the hunger is so great that some people even eat rats grass, dirt, insects, and tree bark in order to survive Even if the brainwashing doesn't work on you, fear will because if you complain or show any sign of disloyalty you can be publicly executed, or worse be sent to a concentration camp where you'll have to basically work as a slave surely go through tortures, go even more hungry and live in conditions so horrible you will wish to be executed It sounds like fiction, something from the book 1984, but it's
not While you're watching this video there are people going through this right now! It's not a movie, a nightmare, something from the past, from history No It's something real that is happening now! There's no place on earth that compares to North Korea If you're watching this video, you're probably not there even as a tourist But let's imagine that something happens you're gliding in the sky of South Korea and the wind drops you and now you're stuck in North Korea Or let's say you're reincarnated there One thing is for sure, you'll want to leave It's not
impossible, but it's very hard Let's find out, here are 8 ways to escape North Korea Use your freedom now and press the like button, subscribe to the channel click on the notification bell so you don't miss the next videos It's free and fortunately I can say what I want at least for now Let's go. Before, it's good to know What are the risks of fleeing North Korea The worst of them is dying in the process North Korean soldiers at the borders are ordered to shoot anyone who is crossing But that's a good thing, because if
you're caught, you'll be sent immediately to those concentration camps I mentioned So one thing's for sure, you've got to be willing to risk your life, that's why so many refugees are ready to take their own life in case something goes wrong Also, if by chance you manage to escape it's good not to have left anyone there in North Korea because they have a guilt-by-association policy That is, they can arrest from 2 to 3 generations from you even your friends So is best if you don't have a family but if you do, try to take them
with you How to do it? 1st way: Through South Korea The path that seems most obvious it's through the neighbor right below, South Korea Not only they are close and also border North Korea the South Korean government claims legitimacy of the entire Korean peninsula In other words, all citizens who live here are South Korean citizens according to the government So, if you're a North Korean and manage to escape to the south you don't even need a visa, "Green Card", etc since you were born, you are already a South Korean citizen no wonder South Korea is
the most common destination of northern refugees However, crossing the border here is not easy it's actually one of the hardest paths Some say it's the most dangerous places on the planet This line is called the "demilitarized zone" Technically the war between North and South Korea for the control of the peninsula has not ended until today No peace treaty has ever been signed, only a ceasefire and the 2 countries claim that the other does not exist that the leaders are illegally ruling half the country neither recognizes the legitimacy of the other So here at the border
is the ceasefire area and both countries promised to stay 4 km behind the border line It's 250 km most of it surrounded by electric fences more than 20 million land mines buried and more than 2 thousand soldiers on each side with half of them ready to shoot at you no questions asked So crossing here is suicidal, but there are desperate people that try You'll have a better chance if you're a soldier who already knows the area, may also be working and knows a gap to run, like this guy who came speeding but after crashing he
ran out on foot among gun shots and managed to cross the border hiding He ended up receiving 5 shots and lost almost half of his blood Luckily he survived and now lives in South Korea Number 2: By the sea On land is hard, so you might try the sea either east or west This side is easier to navigate, the sea is calmer but the government knows this putting a lot of patrol especially near the coast Maybe you can try to go further, the open sea to avoid patrols, but it is much more dangerous Remember, you're
poor and likely are running with a bad and small boat, and not knowing much how to sail in the open sea There are people who tried swimming or floating on tires many drowned in the process or were caught by the patrol only a very few miraculously succeeded If you try the other side, it's worse because the sea is rougher If you have any luck you might end up in Japan They will receive you and send you to South Korea but it is very hard, there are only 3 confirmed cases of people who made it Method
3: South Korean Embassy Going straight to South Korea or to Japan it's almost impossible, what's left is trying through the north border North Korea borders 2 other countries: China and Russia The problem is that unlike Japan, these 2 countries are friends with North Korea If they catch you in their territory, they'll send you back to North Korea Game Over So many who try to cross the northern border have to hide from the police and try to reach at the South Korean Embassy, where once there since is a little piece of South Korea they'll send you
to South Korea In Russia, the closest embassy is in Vladivostok but it's almost impossible to get there Not only the border is tiny, just this little area the way to Vladivostok has guards who can easily recognize you especially since you're not Russian and don't speak the language so any refugee who tries to go there basically carries a sign that says "I'm North Korean, get me" The other option is to go through China as the border is much longer the nearest South Korean embassy is about 200 km from the border The rivers Yalu and Tumen mark
the border to get there you have to cross them In the summer is perhaps easier because the river is shallower in winter much of the river freezes, so you can cross it on foot The problem is that there are guards ready to shoot you Fortunately, there is less security at the northern border than in the south maybe you can bribe a guard for him to pretend he didn't see you crossing that's why crossing here is more common for most refugees Arriving in China you will have to hide The Chinese police are always on the lookout
for North Korean refugees Some made it to the South Korean embassy but the Chinese police do a heavier policing around the embassy Even if you manage to enter, you still have to leave to take a flight to South Korea, risking the chinese police come after you again In China the conditions are very hard, there are some North Koreans naturalized as Chinese who live there and are willing to help, but it's not cheap you can't work legally, and besides the police, you run the risk of being caught in human trafficking and sold as slave or even
a sex slave most Illegal North Koreans in China are women victims of human trafficking Because is hard to get to the embassy, many refugees look for another option going to a neighboring country that would send them to South Korea and not North But China is huge! Going west is far, hard, and it's not guaranteed that these countries would send you to the South Russia we know they wouldn't. India would help, but to get there you have to cross the Himalayas which is impossible Of all of China's 14 neighbors, most are North Korea's friends leaving Mongolia
and Thailand, 2 countries that would send you to South Korea 1st let's see Mongolia Seems like a better option because it's closer, but getting there isn't easy You have the option to take public transport, train, bus, etc but the Chinese guards constantly make inspections and blitzes especially in these transports, and they know how to recognize North Koreans especially if you don't speak Chinese That's why many North Koreans when arriving in China they change clothes, gain weight, maybe even change their hairstyle and makeup to better blend among the Chinese The closer you are to North Korea,
the more guards are used to finding the defectors Besides, you can't just arrive at the Mongolian border and cross Every country has border control points that check passports to leave China and enter Mongolia, you'll have to go through a Chinese border control and the guy there won't let you out, in other words you'll have to go through the regions at the border with no control In the case of Mongolia, it's the Gobi Desert A place full of sand dunes, fluctuating temperatures, and wild animals, so it's not safe at all There's an interesting story of a
mother and daughter who took this path They arrived in China, hid from the police, and were even sold as slaves but humanitarian organizations helped them to escape they saved money and went across the desert with a compass and following the stars at night Finally they managed to get to Mongolia, but there they were surprised when Mongolian guards said that they were going to deport them back to China They only took them in when both of the women threatened to take their own lives Today the daughter has a YouTube channel and I recommend checking it out
she talks a lot about her life in North Korea Number 5: The way through Thailand The next closest country that deports refugees to South Korea is Thailand but as you can see, it's very far, more than 3,000 km it would be like from São Paulo to Roraima, so is long and risky to do it on foot Fortunately, there are trains and buses, but on the other hand, the police are still watching If you manage to reach the southern border, it's not over yet as you can see Thailand does not border directly China, you have to
go through Laos and if they catch you, they'll send you back to North Korea That's why many take a more difficult path passing through Laos crossing a dense forest, climbing hills and finally crossing a river Once arriving, just surrender to the Thailand police and they'll send you to South Korea 6: Going West Many Koreans choose not to go to South Korea, but to the West instead There are some reasons that lead them to make that decision, but to get there is even further Fortunately, there are many NGOs and programs that help refugees leave China and
get somewhere in the west Today there are about 1,000 to 2,000 North Korean refugees in Europe and there are around 200 in the US which is also a good option but to get there there is a huge amount of paperwork and it might can take years There was a guy who after he managed to get to Thailand when he saw that it could take years for the US to accept him as a refugee he got on a boat that went to Argentina Arriving, he traveled overland through South America, Central Americam arriving in Mexico Together with
some Mexicans, he crossed that famous border Today he lives in the US with a US citizenship. 7: Concentration Camps Another rarer way to escape is none of these process it's from North Korea itself, through the concentration camps It sounds suicidal, but surprisingly North Korea "rents" some of its camp workers to work in other countries where conditions are not as good, but possibly slightly better than in North Korea Once arriving in the country you don't need to cross a river to get away, is a little easier However, to be selected as part of this crew, there's
a process: You have to be good physically, have a good record of party loyalty and have a family to leave in Korea Why is that? Yes, in case you run away, they'll have someone to hold hostage So you have to see a way for your family to also escape North Korea or you'll have to abandon them, which unfortunately has already happened Finally, the last way is not for everyone, only for North Korean elite As I said before, there's kind of a caste system in North Korea at the top are the most important families, the elite,
families closest to the government They have more money and with that they can pay for help throughout this process especially your stay in China and the trip to South Korea All of this costs around $18,000, an impossible amount for the average North Korean who earns around $1,300 a year Diplomats, when traveling to other countries, also have to leave his family in North Korea as collateral even diplomats! But, this guy, for being very influential in North Korea managed to convince leaders to take his family on a trip to the UK Once there, they defected to South
Korea This guys is the highest-ranking person ever to escape North Korea in recent years Today he is a major activist against the Kim family government He recently became the first North Korean to win a seat at the South Korean Congress And there you have it: 8 ways to escape from North Korea Unfortunately, even you are one of the few who managed to escape since the end of the Korean war still, you have to keep an eye out because North Korea has spies around the world Some went after defectors and brought them back to Coreira Unfortunately
since Kim Jong-un, current supreme leader of North Korea, came into power he adopted new measures to make it difficult to defect it was made harder with more patrols on the northern border harsher punishments for those who escape and also for guards who allow it not letting anyone out, and the number of people who have managed to escape has dropped a lot this year (2021), also because of COVID-19, only 2 people managed to escape and they were already living in China! So we don't know if there's any new people who managed to get away recently We
have to be grateful that we don't have to go through anything like this here So the next time you or I complain about something in life let's at least recognize a little of the good things we have and think that, at this moment, there are people who would give their lives to be able to have these things to complain about or at least have the freedom and the right to complain That's all for now, see you next time!
